黑料社

COLUMBIA, South Carolina 鈥� Nikki Haley is using the closing days of her South Carolina Republican primary matchup with Donald Trump to hone her argument that she is the lone remaining candidate who can unite Americans, despite the former president鈥檚 electoral wins thus far and his popularity in her home state.

It鈥檚 a tall order for Haley as South Carolina prepares to vote on Saturday. Trump鈥檚 2016 primary win helped cement his front-runner status, and he boasts support from all of the state鈥檚 top elected leaders and all but one of its congressional Republicans.

But Haley has maintained that her ability to stick it out in the race, having outlasted a dozen also-ran candidates, means that she鈥檚 in it for the long haul. Her amped-up fundraising could keep her going despite her earlier losses to Trump.

READ: Bruised and betrayed, Nikki Haley defies Trump juggernaut

Part of Haley鈥檚 argument is her continued showcase of her foreign policy knowhow, having served as Trump鈥檚 United Nations ambassador for two years, as more and more of her campaign appearances feature areas in which she says she would have acted differently than her former boss.

鈥淚 will absolutely put the hammer on our NATO countries that they do have to carry their weight, but you do that behind closed doors,鈥� Haley said Sunday during a town hall on Fox 黑料社 with John Roberts, broadcast from a venue in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

It was a reference to Trump鈥檚 warning to NATO allies during a campaign rally earlier this month that he 鈥渨ould encourage鈥� Russia 鈥渢o do whatever the hell they want鈥� to countries that are 鈥渄elinquent鈥� 鈥� nations that in his view are not doing their part in that alliance. NATO鈥檚 leader said Trump鈥檚 attacks on long-standing international alliances and foreign aid could undermine security and put American and European forces at risk.

鈥淲e should make sure we tell our partners it鈥檚 in their best interest to hold their own weight,鈥� Haley said Sunday. She said 鈥淭rump did it by saying he was going to encourage Putin to invade our allies. That鈥檚 the wrong way.鈥�

She sharpened those comments during a Monday morning campaign stop in the central South Carolina city of Sumter, home to an Air Force base as well as many military veterans. She said Trump is 鈥渟iding with a thug鈥� in Vladimir Putin, whom she called 鈥渁 dictator who killed his political opponents.鈥�

READ: Haley challenges Trump on her home turf in South Carolina

It鈥檚 an argument she makes in a new television ad, part of a $6 million advertising flurry Haley has released in the final weeks of the campaign across her state.

In 鈥淯nite,鈥� which begins airing Monday and was shared before its launch with The Associated Press, Haley argues she is the only choice among the remaining candidates who can handle disputes with foreign leaders in a way that will keep America on solid footing abroad.

鈥淲hen your enemies think you鈥檙e weak, your leader must be strong,鈥� a narrator says, over images of foreign leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin. 鈥淲hen your country is divided, your president must unite us.鈥�

The ad argues that Haley 鈥減rovided moral clarity during our darkest hours,鈥� over headlines from coverage of the racist slaying of nine Black parishioners at a Charleston church in 2015, during Haley鈥檚 second term as South Carolina governor. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 next? That鈥檚 up to you.鈥�

Saying Sunday 鈥� as she has throughout her campaign 鈥� that she鈥檚 鈥淥K being the underdog now,鈥� Haley has been firm in saying that she has never lost a race and believes voters will see her as the right choice to shift away from the 鈥漜haos鈥� she says follows Trump. She also frequently notes that, while Trump has won the earliest contests, she has been ascendant, pointing to the shrinking margins between her totals and Trump鈥榮 in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests.

But over the weekend, Haley also began making an appeal to South Carolinians who typically vote in Democratic primaries, for Saturday鈥檚 vote, a message she also echoed during campaign events on Monday.

She noted that anyone who didn鈥檛 vote in the Feb. 3 Democratic primary 鈥� which attracted under 5% of eligible voters statewide 鈥� can vote in this one, as she bid for crossover support from people who want to cast a vote against Trump.