Nikki Haley said Thursday she wasn’t surprised that President Biden dropped out of the race, saying she “never expected” him to end up as the Democratic nominee.
Haley, who ran for the 2024 Republican nomination and ultimately endorsed Donald Trump, was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper for her thoughts on Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race. Haley notably called for Biden to take a mental competency test in February and predicted that he would not serve a second term if he failed.
“I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t happy. I fought for IQ testing throughout my entire campaign. I didn’t do it to be disrespectful. I didn’t do it to be mean. I did it because I don’t think it’s just about Joe Biden,” Haley replied.
She continued, “We have an issue in Washington where people who get into office don’t let go of their jobs and their staff and their families continue to support them. That’s an issue for the American people. So I didn’t expect him to survive the election. I’ve always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris and I think that’s happening.”
Flashback: Biden being replaced on ticket is an “illusion” denied by media
Nikki Haley previously said during the presidential campaign that Kamala Harris would be president if Joe Biden were president. (Fox News)
But while criticizing the Democrats, she suggested that fielding a candidate younger than former President Trump could give them an advantage in the race.
“The Democrats were very smart to put up a young candidate, I think that’s what America wanted, but note that they put up the weakest candidate they could put up,” Haley said.
Haley repeatedly argued during the campaign that Biden’s mental decline before the election was known to everyone.
“And if they think it’s going to be President Biden, I want to be very clear that a vote for President Biden is actually a vote for President Harris,” Haley told “Fox & Friends” in 2023. “We’re running against Kamala Harris, very clearly. The New York Times knows it. Every liberal knows it. They know that if Joe Biden wins this election, it’s going to be Kamala Harris who ends up being president of the United States.”
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After dropping out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris was quickly endorsed by President Biden as the next Democratic nominee. (Getty Images)
Biden formally withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday in a statement about X. He then endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee, and she quickly solidified her support, becoming the de facto nominee.
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