Former United Nations Ambassador and former Governor of South Carolina. Nikki HaleyIn his first public comments since ending his 2024 Republican presidential campaign, he said he would vote for former President Trump in his rematch with President Biden in 2024.
Haley, who was Trump’s last rival in the Republican primary before suspending her campaign more than two months ago and has not endorsed the former president, spoke out during a Q&A after a speech Tuesday at a conservative think tank. asked a question. Biden or Trump was stronger on national security issues in the nation’s capital.
“Trump is not perfect on these policies, and I’ve made that clear many times, but Biden is a disaster, so I’m voting for Trump,” Haley said.
However, two months after announcing her candidacy, Haley continues to receive up to 20% of the votes in the Republican presidential primary, saying, “Trump voted for me and continues to support me.” We would be wise to reach out to the millions of people who have given us their support.”
Warning signs for Trump and Biden ahead of first presidential debate
2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2024. (Hudson Institute)
Haley presidential election campaign She entered the presidential election last February, becoming the first major candidate to challenge Trump, who announced his candidacy three months earlier. She is Mr. Trump’s last rival, and from the New Hampshire primary in late January to Super Tuesday in early March, she battled the former president in a fierce two-candidate showdown.
Haley announced on March 6, the day after Trump won 14 of the 15 Republican nomination races on Super Tuesday, that she would cease campaigning for the White House.
What kind of future will Haley have in the Trump-controlled Republican Party?
However, when Haley left office Republican presidential nomination race She said she intended to continue speaking out.
And to date, Haley has refused to endorse Trump.
“It’s up to Donald Trump to win the votes of non-partisans both inside and outside his party, and I hope he can do that,” Haley said two months ago. He spoke when he withdrew from the battle.
The Biden campaign responded to Haley’s comments about Trump, continuing its pitch to Haley’s supporters.
“The numbers who continue to vote against Donald Trump in the primaries, who care deeply about the future of our democracy, who stand strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, and who work together across the aisle to get things done. For millions of Republican voters, nothing has changed. At the same time, we reject the chaos, division, and violence that Donald Trump represents,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. “There’s only one candidate who shares these values, and there’s only one campaign working hard every day to win their support, and that’s President Biden’s campaign.”
Former President Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on May 11, 2024. (Hannah Baier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Haley took aim at Biden and Republican lawmakers in her speech on Wednesday but did not name Trump.
Instead, Haley said, “More Democrats and Republicans are forgetting what makes America safe.”
Haley made the comments during her first speech at the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank known for its focus on international affairs and national security.
During her time in the White House, Haley contrasted with President Trump’s “America First” policy of avoiding U.S. involvement in international conflicts, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine and the fighting between Israel and Hamas. He joined the institute a month ago as a senior adviser, advocating for a strong U.S. foreign policy to deal with global conflicts.
“Some in each party want us to abandon our allies, appease our enemies and focus only on domestic problems. They believe that if we leave the world alone, the world will leave us alone. They even say our country will somehow be safer if we ignore global turmoil,” Haley said.
And she said, “This worldview already puts America in great danger, and that threat grows each day. I have always told the hard truth that if we continue on the path to peace If we don’t forget, there will be war in America. We must prevent it and keep the American people safe.”
Haley trained most of her rhetoric against the Democratic incumbent in the White House.
president biden (AP/Jonathan Ernst/Pool/File)
Haley noted that the Biden administration recently suspended shipments of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns that they could be used to attack Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. , noting that the death toll is reported to have exceeded 35,000, saying, “It’s hard to imagine a dumber move than Joe Biden withholding arms from his closest allies.” This was after the Israelis turned their backs on Israel.”
And she said, “Joe Biden’s accomplishments are already clear. He will go down in history as the commander in chief who refused to stop his enemies.”
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But Haley also slammed her own party, saying, “Just weeks before Biden threw Israel to the wolves, many Republicans in Congress tried to push Ukraine off a cliff. Overall, 112 House Republicans voted against military aid to Ukraine.”
She said, “Some Republicans… lack clarity when it comes to Ukraine. The Russian dictator has made it clear that he doesn’t stop in Kiev. He wants to recreate the Soviet Union, and he wants to re-create the Soviet Union and NATO allies… “We have a duty.” To protect them, and if Russia attacks, the US military will go to war. We must do everything to prevent that from happening. ”
Nikki Haley announced her presidential campaign stop in Charleston, South Carolina on March 6, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
During a question-and-answer session after her speech, Haley said she plans to travel to Israel in the coming weeks.
Haley also said that after finishing her campaign, “the first thing I did was make sure I got some sleep. I couldn’t run while I was campaigning, but I got back to running right away.”
And she added that she is spending more time with her parents, children, and husband, who recently returned from an extended military deployment overseas.
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