Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Monday defended her decision to endorse former President Trump as “based on substance” after former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) criticized her position.
Cheney, a Republican critic of President Trump, who publicly endorsed Vice President Harris last week, I said on Sunday She said she could not understand Haley's position on the 2024 election “in any principled sense,” given that she was a fierce critic of Trump when she launched her own presidential candidacy earlier this year.
Haley countered that her decision was actually based on principle.
“I respect her decision, but she can't say my decision goes against principle. In fact, she's right. We can vote on style or we can vote on content. I vote on content. I'm reckoning with the fact that the next four years are not going to be the same as the last four years,” Haley said Monday on Fox News' “Fox and Friends.”
Haley, a former U.N. ambassador and former governor of South Carolina, said the policy differences between Trump and Harris were “not a contest.”
“Harris raised taxes. Trump cut taxes. Harris wants to shut down energy production. Trump stepped it up,” she said. “Harris is weak on national security. Trump is strong on national security. Harris allowed 8 million people to get on the border. Trump was much tougher on the border. This is about my family. This is about America. These are issues.”
Haley said she would vote for Trump in May, months after she dropped out of the Republican presidential bid amid sagging approval ratings. She repeatedly attacked Trump during her run and said earlier this year that she had decided to vote for him because of their policy agreements.
“Let's be very clear: If you don't like him, say you don't like him, but you can't say his policies are worse than Kamala Harris' policies. That's not true,” Haley said Monday.
When asked if her support for Trump was strong enough to warrant her appearing on stage with him at a rally, Haley replied, “I'm happy to be of service.”
“I made a few things very clear to him. One, I want to encourage conservative and moderate Republicans, suburban women, independents and conservative Democrats to vote. This is going to be a close election. He needs to say, 'I need your vote,'” she said. “And the other thing is, I'm standing by. I'm happy to help. I don't want to see Kamala Harris win.”
Asked again about taking to the stage, she replied, “Of course.”
Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney (R-Pa.), made headlines last week after both endorsed Harris' presidential bid over President Donald Trump.
Vice President Cheney argued Sunday that Republicans who publicly oppose Trump but have not endorsed Harris should “go a step further” and support the vice president.
