Amid the political drama of the upcoming presidential primaries, it appears former President Donald Trump might be starting to view former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as the primary threat to his bid to win the Republican presidential nomination. As her support grows in the polls, the former president has been attacking her more aggressively.

On Monday, Trump, in a post on social media, implied that Haley is not a natural born citizen, which means she cannot become president. In a post on Truth Social, he posted a report from The Gateway Pundit propagating the notion that Haley might not be eligible for the presidency because of her parents’ citizenship status when she was born.

The Gateway Pundit report discusses an op-ed written for American Greatness by author Paul Ingrassia arguing that Haley, despite being born in the United States, does not meet the threshold for being a “natural born citizen.”

It makes sense that the constitutional Framers did not license the presidency to anyone born on U.S. soil. The specific requirement of natural-born citizenship, which is absent for both members of Congress and the judiciary, was intended to raise the threshold for presidential officeholders in particular. In Nikki Haley’s case, it is well documented that neither one of her parents were citizens, natural born or naturalized, at the time of her birth in 1972. It has been previously reported that a South Carolina-based newspaper included a quote from the Office of Nikki Haley, stating that “her parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth in 1972 and did not become citizens until 1978 and 2003.” Thus, although the parents may have been lawful residents at the time of her birth on South Carolina soil, which may or may not confer her with the privileges of citizenship, it is important to note that she does not qualify for the Constitution’s higher requirement of natural-born citizenship.

Some have made similar arguments, challenging the commonly accepted definition of “natural born citizens” as one who is born on U.S. soil and did not have to go through the naturalization process. Like Ingrassia, they contend that the founders intended to establish that only those on American soil to American citizens could be eligible for the presidency. So far, there have been no Supreme Court decisions determining a formal definition of the term.

Trump’s social media post hearkens back to his claims that former President Barack Obama was also not an American citizen, which would have disqualified him from office if true. It is possible Trump’s use of this tactic is a response to her increasingly positive polling numbers.

A recent survey showed Haley closely trailing DeSantis with only days left until the Iowa Caucus.

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average, Trump leads the GOP field in Iowa with 51.6 percent support. DeSantis follows at 18 percent support, while Haley closely trails at 17.1 percent.

“It would always be great for someone to outperform expectations in Iowa, and right now Trump’s expectations are a resounding win,” said Matthew Bartlett, a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist.

GOP strategists say New Hampshire and Haley’s home state of South Carolina will likely be more important to her path forward, as polls show Haley with a stronger lead over DeSantis.

Even better for Haley is the latest RealClearPolling average, showing that she is slightly leading the Florida governor at 16.6 percent to 16.4 percent.

According to members of Team Haley, the candidate is hoping to pull off a powerful performance in Iowa. Her objective is to make a strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire instead of trying to outright win the races, which would be nearly impossible given former President Donald Trump’s healthy lead over the rest of the field.

“If [Trump] does not break 50 percent, that’s going to be significant, and where Nikki comes in and how close is going to be critical,” Bartlett said. “If she can make this a competitive race at the start here in New Hampshire and give Donald Trump a shock, that shock therapy to the campaign could ultimately change the dynamic of this race and make it much more competitive coming out of New Hampshire.”

With Haley’s support growing, Trump’s team could be anticipating the possibility that she might unseat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the primary threat to the former president. The Republican frontrunner still maintains a healthy lead over the rest of the pack.

However, it is worth noting that other developments could impact Trump’s chances of winning the GOP nod – especially if his legal troubles worsen to the point that the base begins seeking an alternative. If this happens, Haley could be better positioned to win the nomination if she plays her cards right.