(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump promoted a baseless “birther” conspiracy theory against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
On Monday, Trump reposted a report from The Gateway Pundit suggesting Haley may not be eligible to serve as president because her parents, who immigrated from India, were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth. Haley is a U.S. citizen who was born in the U.S. in 1972 and is eligible to run for president.
It’s not the first time Trump has pushed birther claims. He spread the false claim that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. He also claimed during the 2016 GOP primary that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was born in Canada.
Trump’s post about Haley comes as he’s ramped up attacks on his political rival who has seen a recent surge in national polls. The latest FiveThirtyEight poll reports Trump at 61% with Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hovering at around 12%.
The Hill contributed to this report.
