Haley warns of Trump's 'chaos, vendettas and drama'

Nikki Haley criticized Donald Trump on Saturday for praising foreign strongmen and warned that his style of "chaos, vendettas and drama" would be dangerous, making her sharpest critiques of the former president as the two GOP presidential candidates and their rivals addressed an influential group of Jewish Republicans.

Haley: "We need a leader who knows how to put things back together"

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador, leaned into her foreign policy experience as she argued for longstanding Republican ideas on foreign policy at the Republican Jewish Coalitions annual meeting in Las Vegas. Another GOP foreign policy traditionalist and periodic Trump critic, former Vice President Mike Pence, used his appearance to end his candidacy, the latest sign of the former president's dominance in the primary.

Republican presidential candidates support Israel's offensive against Hamas

The Republican presidential candidates on Saturday uniformly supported Israel's offensive against Hamas, a departure from their divide on whether the U.S. should support Ukraine against Russia's invasion. Support for Israel is a central issue in the Republican primary, particularly among evangelical Christians influential in Iowa, which holds the first Republican caucuses.

Trump extols his own record and declares himself "the best friend that Israel has ever had"

Trump, the runaway front-runner in the 2024 race, did not acknowledge Haley, Pence or the others who spoke before him. He instead extolled his own record in the White House. He boasted that if elected president again, he would restore "peace through strength" and would "stop World War III." He drew rousing applause, cheers and multiple standing ovations.

Pence announces he will drop out of the race and calls on Biden to unconditionally support Israel

Pence did not mention Trump while announcing he would drop out of the race. But he called on President Joe Biden to unconditionally support Israel. He urged the crowd at the summit to "hold fast" to faith, family and the U.S. Constitution and he promoted America's role "as leader of the free world."

Haley criticizes Trump's praise for autocratic leaders and says "the question is, what will he do in the future?"

Haley mentioned Trump by name and said he was a "pro-Israel president," but then went on to say: "The question is, what will he do in the future?" She noted Trump's comments days after Hamas attack when he drew condemnation for lashing out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and referring to the militant group Hezbollah as "very smart." Haley also referred to Trump's repeated praise for the autocratic leaders of China and North Korea.

Trump declares "China respected us. Russia respected us. Everybody respected us"

Trump received the same enthusiastic reception he typically has from the Republican Jewish Coalition and declared, "I'm proud to be the best friend that Israel has ever had." And despite Haley's comments shortly before he spoke, Trump went on to praise Hungary's far-right autocratic Prime Minister Viktor Orban, calling him "a very strong man."

Most candidates pledge robust support for Israel and criticize Biden and Democrats

In their remarks, most of the candidates pledged robust support for Israel. Many of the candidates blamed Biden, especially for a $6 billion transfer to Iran as part of a deal to release five U.S. citizens detained in Iran, and criticized Democratic officials and liberals for what they say is a failure to sufficiently condemn antisemitism.

DeSantis and Scott tout their support for Israel and accuse Democrats of failing to speak up about antisemitism

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted the official actions he had taken to show support for Israel, from sponsoring charter flights for Americans from Israel to ordering state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student group. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott accused liberal politicians of failing to speak up enough about the marginalization and oppression of Jewish Americans.

The Republican Jewish Coalition's annual meeting is seen as a key event in the 2024 presidential race, with many of the party's top donors and activists in attendance. The summit, which runs through Sunday, comes as Israel responds to Hamas militants who killed hundreds of civilians in an Oct. 7 attack.