Nikki Haley Is Reneging On Promise Not To Run Against Trump – Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina and United States Ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, is expected to announce her long-rumored White House bid on February 15.
Reports revealed this week how the former American diplomat and ally to President Donald Trump is preparing a “special announcement” later this month at The Shed at the Charleston Visitor Center, South Carolina.
The Post and Courier broke the story, revealing how sources close to Haley’s team say that she will officially announce her intention to seek the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
A future Haley candidacy has been rumored for years, and Haley herself is behaving as a presidential candidate would ahead of an official announcement.
Along with a ramped-up presence on social media, Haley wondered out loud during an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News whether she could be the right person to lead the Republicans into the next election.
“When you’re looking at a run for president, you look at two things. You first look at does the current situation push for new leadership? The second question is, ‘Am I that person that could be that new leader?’” Haley said.
“Yes, we need to go in a new direction. And can I be that leader? Yes. I think I can be that leader.”
An Insult To Donald Trump?
The announcement could come as a surprise to former President Donald Trump.
In April 2022, Haley was asked by a reporter whether she would run for president if former President Donald Trump were to throw his hat in the ring. Haley’s response was a resounding “no.” Not only that, but Haley responded “yes” when asked whether she would back Trump in 2024.
“I would not run in President Trump ran,” Haley said.
Not only is her announcement a surprise, but a November 2022 poll from Winthrop University revealed that Haley could actually generate a good amount of support in the state of South Carolina, even going up against the former president.
The poll found that South Carolina Republican voters would go 45% for trump and 37% for Haley. When factoring in the margin of error of 5%, Trump and Haley are almost neck and neck.
Haley may not be hugely popular party-wide, but her support in South Carolina could be cause for concern for Trump.
And, of course, we can’t completely discount the possibility that Haley’s announcement is designed to make Donald Trump uncomfortable, in that she could be looking for the VP slot on a Trump ticket.
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
