Former UN ambassador and Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley has finally “bent the knee” to Trump after running a primary campaign challenge centered around her opposition to him.
On Wednesday, Haley said she would vote for Trump, giving him an implicit endorsement ahead of the Republican National Convention and November election.
Opposition to Trump
Haley previously positioned herself in the Republican primary as an anti-Trump candidate, making consistent attacks on Trump’s character, rhetoric, and policies.
However, as the primary went on, she received many disappointing results, even losing to Donald Trump in her own state.
Nikki on Trump’s Chaos
During the primary, Haley did not hold back on her opposition and ire to Trump.
“It’s disgusting. But this is what happens when Donald Trump goes off the teleprompter. That’s the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. That’s the offensiveness that will come every day until the general election. That’s why I continue to say that Donald Trump cannot win a general election…This is a huge warning sign. We have to stop with the chaos. We have to stop with the drama,” Haley said in February.
Dropping Out of the Race
After the disappointing primary results started to stack up, Haley ultimately chose to concede from the race, notably refusing to endorse Trump as others who had dropped out had done, saying that Trump would need to earn her support.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that,” Haley said in March.
No Need to Kiss the Ring
Just before suspending her campaign, Haley quipped that she had no reason to bow before Trump, implying that she was willing to stick to her principles over her political future.
“I feel no need to kiss the ring,” Haley said in February. “My political future is of no concern.”
Voting for Trump
Fast forward to this week, and Haley has confirmed that she will in fact support and vote for Donald Trump, despite him not making any clear public efforts to win her vote.
“So, I will be voting for Trump,” said Haley on Wednesday at an event at Hudson Institute. “Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that.”
Measured Support
Although Haley is now supporting Trump, it seems apparent that she is doing it begrudgingly, and in only the context of Joe Biden.
In her speech, she downplayed Trump’s flaws saying that while he “has not been perfect” it doesn’t compare to Biden who she says “has been a catastrophe.”
First Public Speech
These comments by Haley confirming her support for the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump came at the first public speech she has given since leaving the primary race.
The move will likely be devisive to her previous supporters who rallied behind her as an anti-Trump force in politics, continuing to deliver her primary votes even after she dropped out of the race.
Enduring Insults
Haley’s reversal on supporting Trump despite an unwillingness for months comes after Trump has repeatedly mocked her while never taking the comments back.
Previously Trump has called her “Birdbrain” and poked fun at her husband’s military service, attacks which Haley previously described as “unhinged.”
Trump On Haley
In a speech in February, Trump mocked the absence of Haley’s deployed military husband, asking ‘Where is he? He’s gone.’ During the speech, he mocked Haley with his famous ‘birdbrain’ nickname.
“Birdbrain loves mass asylum,” Trump said, prompting laughter from the audience. “There’s nothing nice about her.”
Haley’s Past Support
Despite her primary strategy being to run in opposition to Trump, Haley had previously said she would support a Trump re-election, and during Trump’s first term, she worked for him as his UN ambassador.
‘I will never run against President Trump. He’s a great president, the greatest president in my lifetime,'” Trump quoted Haley as saying. “She said, ‘I will never run against him.’”
Will There Be a Trump-Haley Ticket?
With this latest news that Haley is throwing her vote behind Trump, some are speculating about the possibility of Haley joining Trump as his running mate, as he still has not announced his vice-presidential pick.
However, at this point, this seems unlikely. Trump, a man big on loyalty, indicated recently in a Truth Social post that “Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the VP slot, but I wish her well.”
