Former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has announced that she will vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 general election, a notable show of support given their intense and often personal rivalry during the Republican primary campaign. Haley's endorsement comes two months after she suspended her own presidential bid, during which she accused Trump of causing chaos, disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad, and questioned his mental fitness for office.
Speaking at an event at the conservative Hudson Institute in Washington on Wednesday, Haley said, "I will be voting for Trump." However, she also emphasized that Trump would be wise to reach out to the millions of voters who supported her during the primary campaign and continue to cast votes for her in ongoing contests. "Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they're just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that," Haley added.
The former ambassador's endorsement is yet another signal of the Republican Party's virtually complete consolidation of support behind Trump, even from those who have previously labeled him a threat. During the primary campaign, Trump repeatedly mocked Haley with the nickname "Birdbrain," though he curtailed those attacks after securing enough delegates in March to become the presumptive Republican nominee.
Despite Haley's endorsement, President Joe Biden's campaign has made it clear that they will continue to court voters who backed her in Republican primaries this year. The Biden campaign is quietly organizing a Republicans for Biden group, which will eventually include dedicated staff and focus on the hundreds of thousands of Haley voters in each battleground state, according to people familiar with the plans but not authorized to discuss them publicly.
"Nothing has changed for the millions of Republican voters who continue to cast their ballots against Donald Trump in the primaries and care deeply about the future of our democracy, standing strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, and working across the aisle to get things done for the American people - while also rejecting the chaos, division and violence that Donald Trump embodies," Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign's communications director, said in a statement. "Only one candidate shares those values, and only one campaign is working hard every day to earn their support - and that's President Biden's."
In her speech at the Hudson Institute, Haley made several criticisms of Biden's foreign policy and handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. She offered full support for Israel's war with Hamas and strongly criticized Biden for placing conditions on military aid to the country. "Biden thinks he's stopping a war," Haley said. "In fact, he's dragging out a war, emboldening terrorists and making other wars more likely."
Haley also urged her fellow Republicans to support military aid for Ukraine and Israel, stating, "Sending weapons to Ukraine and Israel isn't foreign aid. It's an investment in a world in which authoritarian dictators cannot run roughshod over free countries."
Since leaving the race in March, Haley has spent time reconnecting with her family, including her husband, Michael, who returned from a yearlong overseas deployment. However, even in her absence, she has continued to win votes in Republican primaries, exposing a potential challenge Trump faces in unifying the party in suburban areas of swing states.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, who endorsed Haley in the primary before switching his support to Trump, believes she should be on the GOP ticket. "For Nikki Haley, in Indiana, to pull over 20% and not be on the ballot is amazing," Norman told CNN. "That's why she would make a great VP candidate. And I made that pitch to President Trump and also to Nikki Haley."
