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‘Not interested’, Nikki Haley reacts to speculation about Donald Trump's potential VP pick
Nikki Haley expressed her feelings regarding the projections made by certain voters that they would rather have her as VP than as president.
Brushing off any talk of her being ex-US President Donald Trump's running mate, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has made it clear that she does not want to be the Vice-President as she is contending “to win” the 2024 White House race.
Earlier, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had publicly stated his disinterest in serving as Trump's running mate.
Haley made her comments prior to Monday's Iowa caucuses, which officially mark the start of the long process by which Republicans and Democrats determine their nominees for the November 5 presidential contest.
In an interview with CBS News, Haley expressed her feelings regarding the projections made by certain voters that they would rather have her as vice president than as president.
“I don’t play for a second. I’ve never played for a second. I’m not going to start now,” she said. “I’m not interested in being vice president. I’m running to be president, and I’m running to win, and we will," the 51-year-old added.
Also Read: Donald Trump shares false claim about Nikki Haley, questions her Indian parents’ citizenship status
Nikki Haley says Republican presidential primary going to be two-person race
In a message to voters who like her but support Trump for the role of US president, Haley voiced concern about possible instability if he gets re-elected.
"Well, I think look, if you want four more years of chaos, that’s what you’re gonna get. But what’s more concerning is, you look at those head-to-head polls, Trump and Biden are pretty much even. It’s going to be a nail-biter of an election. We’re going to be holding our breath I don’t want a President Kamala Harris," she said.
The senior Republican further stated the GOP contest to elect the presidential nominee is going to be a two-person race between her and Trump. “What you’re going to see is this is quickly going to become a two-person race. I think it’s going to be me and Donald Trump going into New Hampshire. And you’re going to see it’s already close. It’s going to get even closer. And then we’re going to take it to my state in South Carolina,” Haley told Fox News in an interview on Sunday.
Nikki Haley hits back at Trump for calling her ‘not tough’
Haley, the lone woman candidate in the race, hit back at Trump for calling her “not tough enough”, claiming the GOP front-runner attacked her because he “knows that he’s in trouble.”
“Everybody that’s ever worked for me or worked with me, no one ever questions my toughness,” Haley told CNN on Sunday. “He’s saying this because now he knows he’s in trouble. Now he knows this is becoming a two-person race. So I know that he knows the truth. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
She went on to call Trump's comment “comical”, recalling how Trump used to praise her when she was ambassador to the United Nations. "When I was at the UN, he always used to tell people, ‘don’t mess with her. She’s tough.’”
As Haley appears to be gaining ground in the GOP primary, Trump – who continues to lead in both Iowa and national polls – has shifted his assaults from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to the former governor of South Carolina.
“Nikki did a good job, she was okay, but she’s not right to be president. I know her very well, the wrong thought process, the wrong policy," Trump told his supported at a rally in Iowa on Sunday.
“And honestly she’s not tough enough. She’s not tough enough. These are tough people we’re dealing with,” Trump added. He further called authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping "very tough".
