By Richard Lee

Did Vivek Ramaswamy cross a line when he brought Nikki Haley’s daughter into the conversation during Wednesday’s GOP presidential candidates’ debate?

I don’t believe so. Here’s why.

In case you missed the exchange, Ramaswamy mentioned Haley’s daughter as part of his response to a question about banning the social media app TikTok.

“In the last debate she (Haley) made fun of me for actually joining TikTok,” he said. “Well her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time so you might want to take care of your family first.”

Ramaswamy could have handled the situation more delicately, but if you look at his comments in the context of what Haley said about TikTok in the Sept. 27 GOP debate, he was making a legitimate point.

In that debate, Haley said TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps, giving the China access to contacts, financial information, emails and texts.

“We can’t have TikTok in our kids’ lives, we need to ban it,” she said.

If Haley is so adamant about the dangers of TikTok, it’s fair to note that her own daughter uses the app.

It’s also worth noting that the unwritten policy about keeping candidates’ children out of political attacks is an effort to protect minors. Haley’s daughter Rena is 25 years old. If she is immune from criticism, what’s next? Do the Trump siblings, Hunter Biden and other adult children of politicians get a pass from the public sphere too?

Candidates love to show off their families in warm, fuzzy campaign ads and magazine features like the article People did on Haley’s family.

But if you use your family to score political points, don’t complain if slings and arrows follow.

Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, is a professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University. He covered politics and government as a reporter and later served as Deputy Director of Communication for two New Jersey governors.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Politics, Richard Lee