After former President Donald Trump named Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance his running mate, Nalin Haley—the son of Trump's former 2024 rival Nikki Haley—trolled South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott with a mocking reference to his wedding engagement.
Scott was reportedly on Trump’s vice president shortlist, but his never having been married raised concerns among Republican Party donors. Scott's private nature regarding his personal life was so pronounced that six of his friends told The Washington Post last September that they were unsure if he had “a woman in his life.”
In January, Scott announced his engagement to Mindy Noce, a previously married interior designer and mother of three from Charleston, South Carolina. However, the rapid timeline of the relationship raised eyebrows and critics openly wondered if they were together merely to enhance Scott’s VP prospects.
These facts prompted Nalin Haley to respond with the following remark on X, formerly Twitter:
"BREAKING: Tim Scott calls off wedding."
Nalin Haley's X account is private and his post came to the attention of social media users after a screenshot of his remark was shared by another poster.
@Nalin_Haley/X
The jokes instantly came rolling in.
Earlier this year, Scott and Nikki Haley clashed on the campaign trail, revealing a deep rift between the two South Carolinian candidates with a history spanning over a decade.
Notably, Haley publicly disagreed with Scott's support for a 15-week abortion ban. In response, Scott referenced the 2018 controversy over expensive curtains installed at then-U.N. Ambassador Haley's New York residence, a decision the New York Times reported was made during the Obama administration. Haley retorted that Scott had "got bad information."
The rift is especially significant considering that 11 years ago, Haley, as the first minority female governor of the state and one of the first in the country, appointed then-Representative Scott to fill the Senate seat left vacant by fellow Republican Jim DeMint's retirement.
