Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s fierce challenger in the Republican presidential primary, called on Republicans to unite to elect him in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, marking her most explicit endorsement of her former rival since dropping out of the race.
“President Trump asked me to address this convention in the name of unity. It was a generous invitation and I gladly accepted,” Haley said after appearing on the convention stage to a mix of cheers and boos.
“I strongly support Donald Trump, that’s all,” she said.
Haley also acknowledged that some conservatives and Republicans remain skeptical of the former president, and urged Trump supporters to reach out to them.
“We have to acknowledge that there are Americans who don’t 100 percent agree with President Donald Trump. I’ve met some of them, and I want to speak to them tonight,” Haley said. “Take my word for it: I haven’t always agreed with President Trump, but we agree more than we disagree.”
Haley’s speech will likely be her biggest endorsement of Trump in more than a year. The former U.N. ambassador, who served under Trump, announced her presidential candidacy in February of last year. She then entered the primary race against Trump and continued her campaign through March. But she continued to win significant votes in subsequent primary states, sometimes as much as 20% of the vote.
Haley said she would vote for Trump in May and nominated him as a delegate earlier this week.
