Nikki Haley served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018 under then-Presdient Donald Trump. Haley has also previously served as the Governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. As a Republican and an ally to Donald Trump, Haley was been long viewed as a potential future Presidential candidate.
Before entering politics, as a businesswoman, Haley owned and managed a clothing store in Lexington, South Carolina, which she ran with her husband. She was also involved in her family’s farm supply business.
When Haley mentioned the possibility of running for President in 2024 to current 2024 Presdietnal Candidate, former President Donald Trump, Trump responded by saying:
“I talked to her for a little while, I said, ‘Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run,’”
Many have noticed the large difference in tone between how Trump has responded to Haley’s announcement on running for President in 2024, as opposed to how he’s commented on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s 2024 Presidental bid. While Trump is encouraging Haley to run and put her best foot forward, presumptive 2024 opponent DeSantis has not received the same encouragement from the former President.
Earlier this week, Trump called out Ron DeSantis as a “globalist” and a fan of Jeb Bush, also mentioning the large hand Trump had in his Florida Gubernatorial campaign in 2018.
According to Politico, Trump would also go on to add “When I hear that he might [run], I think it’s very disloyal,” adding, “He won’t be leading, I got him elected. I’m the one that chose him.”
Currently, Haley is polling at roughly 3%, however, this number is expected to rise due to her smaller name politics starting to grow as a result of this 2024 Presidental announcement which will likely result in increased news coverage surrounding Haley.
While Trump was kind towards Haley following her announcement, Nikki Haley and Donald Trump have a complex relationship. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Haley, who was then the governor of South Carolina, initially supported other Republican candidates and was critical of Trump, however, when debating against one another, punches can be thrown – similar to the nasty insults thrown in 2020 when Kamala Harris alleged that she believed Tara Reade’s accusations against Joe Biden, and alleged that Biden was a racist. However, after Trump won the election, she accepted his offer to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In this role, Haley often defended Trump’s policies at the UN and was considered one of his most effective ambassadors.
Despite frequently backing Trump throughout his Presidency, since leaving the administration following the election of Joe Biden in 2020, Haley has been critical of some of Trump’s actions, particularly in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. She has also distanced herself from some of his rhetoric and controversial statements.
Haley’s formal announcement for her 2024 Presidental campaign is scheduled to be given on February 15th.
