What’s Happening:
The political world was stunned this week when news came out about Nikki Haley. The former UN ambassador and Republican governor of South Carolina revealed she was going to run for president in 2024. This sent shockwaves through the GOP, as she was once a close ally to Donald Trump.
What did Donald think of this development? Will he attack her, like he’s attacked Ron DeSantis (who has yet to announce a campaign)? Will Trump throw attacks against Haley and further alienate swing voters? Reporters caught up with Trump and asked him. He revealed Haley actually called him up first. This is what he said.
From The Western Journal:
In a conversation with reporters aboard his plane on a campaign trip Saturday, Trump said, “She called me and said she’d like to consider it, and I said, ‘You should do it,’” according to CBS News.
“I talked to her for a little while,” Trump told reporters. “I said, ‘Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run.’”
Invitations are going out to Haley’s backers to attend a “special announcement” on Feb. 15 in Charleston, the Post and Courier reported.
This is an interesting development. Trump claims that Haley called him up before she revealed her plans. The GOP candidate and her former boss told Haley “You should do it.” He went on to tell reporters that he told her to “go by your heart.”
This was not something many people expected. Haley was a strong member of the first Trump administration. She is now running against him for the Republican nomination for president. They are now, technically rivals, even though Trump is leading in the polls.
But instead of attacking Haley, it appears he was gracious. Trump encouraged her to run and said nothing disparaging about her.
This could mean several things. Perhaps Trump is refusing to attack her, for now, out of respect for his former colleague. Maybe this is a bit of chivalry on the man’s part. Or, perhaps, he doesn’t think he has to go after her.
After all, he is far and away leading in every hypothetical GOP primary poll. Maybe he thinks Haley doesn’t have much of a shot at beating him?
But the reality is, polls change quickly once people enter a race. And we haven’t seen how voter sentiment will change, once Haley actually starts appearing at campaign events. If she turns the tide and gains on Trump, he might change his tune.
Key Takeaways:
- Trump apparently supported Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign.
- Haley called the former president to receive his blessing.
- He told his former UN ambassador that she should go for it.
Source: The Western Journal
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