OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Also-ran 2024 GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley, who is on pace to dramatically lose the primary in her home state of South Carolina later this week, would not say during a television appearance on Sunday whether she would support her opponent, Donald Trump, if he wins the party’s nomination.
During an appearance on ABC with Jonathan Karl, the host tried on a few occasions to pin the former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador down over whether she’d support Trump if he became the nominee.
“I’m running against him because I don’t think he should be president,” she said, according to Politico.
“The last thing on my mind is who I’m going to support. The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to win this,” the outlet added.
After Karl tried again to pin her down on a response, Haley replied, “I’m going to run, and I’m going to win, and y’all can talk about support later. Right now, you can ask him if he’s going to support me when I’m the nominee.”
While not a complete reversal, the shift in rhetoric signals a change in perspective.
Previously, she had stated that she would support Trump if he emerged victorious in the then-crowded primary.
“I would support him because I am not going to have a President Kamala Harris. We can’t afford that. That is not going to happen,” she said on CNBC in July 2023.
During the first GOP debate in August, Haley was among the candidates who indicated their willingness to support Trump if he secured the nomination.
Despite escalating her criticisms of Trump throughout the campaign season, she has not explicitly reversed her stance on the matter.
Politico added:
During the interview with Karl, Haley was sharply critical of President Joe Biden for the state of the world today, but also aimed her fire at Trump, particularly for his recent remarks that were seen as undermining the NATO alliance as well as his attempts to stock the leadership of the Republican National Committee with close allies, including Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law.
“It should be a wake-up call for Republicans all over this country,” Haley told Karl.
“I mean, you look at the fact that we saw in his campaign reports that he used $50 million of campaign contributions to pay for his personal court cases. Then he tried to get the RNC to name him the presumptive nominee. We don’t anoint kings in America,” Haley added.
Meanwhile, several influential conservatives are calling on Haley to end her hopeless quest for the GOP nomination.
The calls come as Haley has gone 0-4 in the first series of primaries, and she is trailing Trump by a wide margin in her home state of South Carolina, where she served as governor.
“A group of 12 prominent conservatives, including a former governor, media executives, and a former U.S. attorney general,” are calling on her to quit the race.
“While you have waged a spirited campaign for the 2024 Republican Party nomination, it is clear you cannot win the GOP nomination,” a letter to her reads. “We applaud your efforts, but your candidacy is over.”
The group went on to accuse her of harming the GOP by staying in the race.
The group cited a past example of how a prolonged and pointless candidacy within the GOP caused long-term damage to both the party and the candidate himself.
The group also lashed out as Nikki Haley polls are not good news for her.
