Trump believes Nikki Haley will be on his team ‘in some form’ despite previously shunning her as a VP candidate
The tug-of-war between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley continues. The ex-president is counting on her being on his team regardless of their “nasty” crossfire.
On Wednesday, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley said that she'll be voting for Trump in November despite previously declaring him “unhinged” and “not qualified” to go on as the nation's leader. The Wednesday event at Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., marked her first event since she called off her campaign in March
Both Trump and Haley voiced severe criticism of each other until the former South Carolina governor dropped out of the presidential race earlier this year. While suspending her campaign in March, Haley claimed, “It is now up to Donald Trump to reach the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him.” She also added, “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”
Since then, speculative talk about Haley possibly standing in as one of the top contenders for the vice presidential pick has also erupted. However, Trump ultimately squashed those rumours in his May 11 Truth Social post, claiming that she “is not under consideration” to be his running mate.
As the continuing back-and-forth between the two political figures takes another turn amid Trump's ongoing campaigns, the former US president responded to Haley's support for him in the upcoming elections.
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Donald Trump and Nikki Haley on the same team?
On Thursday, Trump led his first major campaign event in New York since 2016 – a rally in the Bronx. Speaking of Haley's indispensable presence, he said, “I think she's going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts.”
The probable Republican presidential nominee told News12 New York that he “appreciated” Haley's support while simultaneously acknowledging their “nasty campaign.” He continued, “But she's a very capable person, and I'm sure she's going to be on our team in some form, absolutely.”
Despite name-dropping her again, Trump dodged questions about the former US ambassador to the United Nations potentially joining him as his vice presidential pick. Instead of deciphering Haley's position vis-a-vis his team, he only highlighted several other names of renowned Republicans, who he believes would do a “really fantastic job,” including Sens. Marco Rubio and J.D Vance, Rep. Elise Stefanik and Dr Ben Carson.
As to when his final decision would be dealt out, Trump said foregrounded “sometime during the convention” as the time window. While the Republican National Convention is slated to take place from July 15 to 18 in Milwaukee, Trump is also embroiled in his ongoing hush money trial, with final arguments to be revealed next week.
