Nikki Haley’s Hotel Spendings Contradicts Frugality Claims

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign reportedly spent a huge amount of money on luxury hotel stays in 2023. As shown in her third-quarter disbursements filing with the Federal Election Commission, the Republican presidential candidate’s campaign spent over $11,000 on high-end accommodations, including four-and five-star hotels.

Nikki Haley's campaign spent thousands on luxury hotels despite claims it runs 'a tight ship' https://t.co/WMoj0hF5Nw

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As highlighted by Fox News, the hotel spendings included stays at the Wave Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey and The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, both luxurious hospitality locations.

Other high-end hotels the campaign spent on as shown in the report include a J.W. Marriott, a Fairmont Hotel in Texas and Iowa’s upscale Hotel Fort Des Moines in which she had multiple stays. While she stayed at lower-rated hotels, the stays were not added to the $11,000 spent on luxury hotels.

The hotel bills and the huge amount they carry contradict Haley and her campaign’s claims of frugality. In multiple fundraising emails sent in July 2023, the campaign said that she was “being smart with every dollar.”

The email had added that the campaign spends donors’ funds wisely, reading, “We run a tight ship at Team Haley. Supporters like you contribute your hard-earned money to elect Nikki, and we make sure to spend that money wisely.”

The email specifically stated that Haley and her team do not stay in luxury suites but bend towards low-budget hotels instead to save money.

As the team wrote, “Nikki’s an accountant, not a lawyer. When Nikki and the team travel to New Hampshire and Iowa, they’re flying on a lot of Spirit and JetBlue flights. When they stay in hotels, they’re not staying in luxury suites, they’re staying at a lot of Residence Inns.”

Another email from the campaign claimed that Haley also chose to be frugal about her accommodation and transportation expenses.

“We’re getting you out to New Hampshire, Iowa, and wherever else you need to go with the most affordable option we can find. And when you all land, you’re driving the rest of the staff around in a rental car. You’re not staying in luxury suites. You’re staying at affordable hotels…Our team is lean and mean. We track every penny coming in and out of our campaign because that was the expectation set on day one,” it read.

Haley herself blasted fellow candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a debate last week for his spending, claiming that he has blown through millions of dollars on his campaign.

“He spent more on private planes than commercial. I flew commercial. I stayed in Residence Inns. We went and saved our money,” she stated, adding, “We made sure we spent it right because you have to understand it’s not your money. It’s other people’s money. And you have to know how to handle it.”