Nikki Haley has ended speculation on whether she will support Donald Trump and said she will vote for the former President because Joe Biden is a “catastrophe.” Speaking at an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, she said her requirements for President include loyalty to allies, commitment to a free capitalist economy, and plans to reduce the national debt, and while she does not believe Trump is “perfect” in these areas, he is preferable to President Biden.
South Carolina’s former Governor confirmed that she would vote for Trump in November but added that she nevertheless stands by her previous remarks about the Republican nominee. When Haley dropped out of the GOP primary race in March, she refused to endorse Mr. Trump and declared that it was up to him to win her backing, as well as that of conservatives across the country uncomfortable with the former President’s approach.
“Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me,” she repeated at the Hudson Institute, where she was recently appointed the Walter P. Stein chair. Her remarks come as the Biden campaign tries to appeal to her supporters and persuade them to back the President. In response to Ms. Haley’s comments, Biden’s team said it would continue to reach out to her followers because a significant segment of GOP voters reject “the chaos, division, and violence that Donald Trump embodies.”
Polls show that Haley is still attracting up to 20% in some states, even after excluding herself from the competition. Trump’s spokesperson said the Republican is already drawing support from across the political spectrum and various demographic groups.
Despite an increasingly fraught contest between Trump and Haley, the two Republicans have recently softened their public remarks about each other. Donald Trump, who referred to Haley as “bird brain” throughout the primaries, confirmed in May that he would not consider his former UN Ambassador as his running mate, but he wishes her well.
