Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley made a remark about her former boss, ex-President Donald Trump, during an interview this week but swiftly tried to adjust her stance. Speaking with CNBC, Haley, a former governor of South Carolina who has seen an increase in her poll numbers and is now in second place—though still far behind Trump—in some of them, mentioned that “chaos” seemed to accompany the 45th president wherever he went. However, she clarified that she would willingly support him if he emerged as the GOP’s presidential nominee for 2024, as reported by HuffPost.
On the program “Squawk Box,” host Joe Kernen asked Haley if Trump’s post-2020 election actions disqualified him from being president again. While she demurred, Haley did add that she believes Trump “is not the right president going forward.”
“Chaos follows him everywhere he goes. Chaos follows him. And in a time where we need to start getting our act together, do we really want to go that route? I don’t think we do,” she said.
“I’ll support the Republican nominee,” Haley said. “I mean, I think that’s important that we support the Republican nominee because I think anybody is better than [Vice President] Kamala Harris at this point.”
“I don’t play for second, I’ve never played for second and I’m not going to start now,” says 2024 Presidential Candidate @NikkiHaley on whether she would accept being Vice President to former President Trump. “I’m fighting to be president.” pic.twitter.com/f8NW6OFOR9
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) November 15, 2023
In the recent 2024 Republican primary debate hosted by NBC, Nikki Haley experienced significant moments. In a post-debate interview with the outlet, she assessed her performance and delved into the current state of the race. Haley proudly mentioned her campaign’s ascent to second place in certain GOP primary polls, emphasizing her commitment to staying in the race despite the substantial lead held by former President Donald Trump. Additionally, Haley addressed remarks made by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy about her daughter during the debate.
“I have to start with the moment we saw with Vivek Ramaswamy. Can you take a minute to reflect on that moment and what was going through your head? Do you dislike him?” an NBC News reporter asked.
“Look, I’m a mom. The second you start saying something about my 25-year-old daughter, I will get my back up. It is not even about the personal part. There are serious differences I have with him. He does not think we have to help Israel; he sides with Putin, and he thinks that Ukraine doesn’t matter,” Haley began.
“He is okay with giving Taiwan to China. There are so many issues. He does not think America needs friends. I think he has a dangerous foreign policy that we can’t afford. I think he would make America less safe,” she added.
“I do not even give him the time of day. He is not worthy. He is not ready to be president; everybody knows that and sees that. So many things he said were uncalled for,” Haley said.
One of the most intense moments of the debate occurred during the discussion on whether to ban the social media app TikTok. The FBI and other national security authorities have issued warnings about TikTok potentially transmitting personal information to China’s autocratic government, leading to a heated exchange among the participants.
“Her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time, so you might want to take care your family first,” Ramaswamy told Haley at the debate in Miami, the third GOP debate of the election cycle. The audience booed in response.
“Leave my daughter out of your voice. … You’re just scum,” Haley shot back with apparent content, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
Haley to Ramaswamy: You’re just scum pic.twitter.com/meLxcAVg4a
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 9, 2023
