Donald Trump’s supporters like to delude themselves into believing that Donald Trump is the most courageous, fearless, telling-it-like-it-is politician in United States history. They claim that he alone has the courage to confront the powers that need confronting and to tell truths that need to be told. However, they ignore the fact that as tough as Donald Trump is when he’s trolling people from a distance or firing off nonsense on Twitter, he has repeatedly folded when placed into physical proximity with his opponents.

Recall that when he wasn’t face to face with Carly Fiorina, he was fine with crassly criticizing her looks. When he had to face her in person at the debate, he folded like a cheap suit. Before the last debate, he spent two days taunting Ted Cruz on Twitter and calling him a maniac, but when he had to stand next to him on stage, he acted like Ted Cruz’s best friend.

Now, after engaging in battle of words with Haley since her response to the State of the Union, and after his supporters have been nonsensically saying to deport her for two days, this is how he responds when faced with a crowd that obviously likes Nikki Haley, and when he needs Nikki Haley to at least not be opposed to him in the South Carolina primary:

Trump is a lot like many internet trolls. Whenever he’s on twitter or far away from a person, he will be hostile and biting and insulting and “speaking the truth” about them. When he’s in person, or when he needs someone’s political support, he is just as eminently capable of kissing a** as anyone in the Republican Senate.

So all you people who are Trump supporters who have been busy saying Nikki Haley is a traitor and should be deported, just remember: that’s Donald Trump’s friend you’re talking about.