Sarah Matthews, former press secretary to former President Donald Trump, criticized former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley for “giving in” and choosing to vote for her former boss.
“She was gaining momentum and could have become a leader in the post-Trump Republican Party, but instead, like every other Republican, she chose to get down on one knee and kiss the ring.” Matthews said on Sunday In an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
“I mean, as Donald Trump said it best, it’s unfortunate because they always take the knee, but again, it’s not surprising,” she added, referring to the former president’s comments after securing the support of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) in January.
Haley, who has been Trump’s most successful challenger and outlasted all other candidates in the Republican primary, said last week that she would vote for Trump rather than Biden in November’s presidential election.
Since then, several former Trump aides and Republicans have criticized her decision, with former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci calling her choice “gutless” and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) calling it “pathetic.”
Matthews was one of the most vocal former Trump supporters who wanted Haley to face Biden in the fall.
Many have argued that her decision to support Trump, a man she harshly criticized and was the target of attacks throughout the election campaign, was made to secure her own political future. Despite last week’s announcement, Matthews said she’s not sure Trump’s fan base will support the former ambassador.
She also noted that while she didn’t expect Haley to publicly endorse Biden, she could have declined to endorse the former president.
“She has criticized Donald Trump many times,” Matthews said, “going all the way back to 2016 and she has changed her tune many times.”
“So I think they’ve already rejected her,” she added, referring to the former president’s supporters.
Haley, who stopped campaigning in March, initially refused to endorse Trump, the Republican front-runner, saying instead he needed to win over voters.
Her announcement last week was widely seen as a change of policy.
Matthews argued that Haley’s supporters are “really excited” to see her take on Trump, but added that it’s unclear whether those voters will follow her lead and support the former president or avoid him altogether.
A former Trump aide said Haley’s decision “creates a permission structure for those ordinary Republicans to follow her.”
“And in a closely decided election, even if it’s not a majority of her supporters, just having a few who might end up following her and supporting Donald Trump could make a difference in some key battleground states,” she added.
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