Nikki Haley, former Ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, is contemplating a 2024 presidential run.
Haley’s comments, made during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier, indicate she has changed her mind about taking on Trump for the Republican nomination.
The landscape, it seems, has changed, and the former governor of South Carolina says the current political landscape calls for new blood, something she says she represents as a leader.
“You can look all across the board, domestic, foreign policy,” Haley said. “You can look at, you know, inflation going up, economy shrinking, government getting bigger, you know, small business owners not being able to pay their rent.”
“Big businesses getting these bailouts, all of these things warrant the fact that, yes, we need to go in a new direction.”
“So do I think I could be that leader? Yes, but we are still working through things and we’ll figure it out,” she added. “I’ve never lost a race. I said that then, I still say that now. I’m not going to lose now.”
‘I CAN BE THAT LEADER’: Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley hints at 2024 presidential run during exclusive interview with Bret Baier pic.twitter.com/KAa7qnjzgl
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 19, 2023
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Wants the Focus to Be on Biden
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Haley’s tune has changed a bit since speaking to reporters in April of 2021 regarding a potential bid for the White House.
“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she stated at the time. “That’s something we’ll have a conversation about at some point, if that decision is something that has to be made.”
When asked if she’d be supporting a third run for the White House by Trump, Haley replied, “Yes.”
JUST IN: Nikki Haley says she will not run if Trump runs for president in 2024 https://t.co/YLXEiRsiqZ pic.twitter.com/pZ6zeXoIUX
— The Hill (@thehill) April 12, 2021
Prior to that, however, like most Republicans who tried to take advantage of a narrative being put forth by Democrats and the media, Haley was freely taking shots at Donald Trump for his alleged role in the January 6th riot.
“We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him,” she told a Politico reporter.
“And we can’t let that ever happen again.”
Trump announced his 2024 campaign shortly after the midterm elections in November.
Nikki Haley said last year that she would support Trump if he ran for office in 2024 and, when asked if Trump announcing would stop her from launching her own bid, she answered, “I would not run if President Trump ran.”pic.twitter.com/zEoZ7Ej90N https://t.co/tw4HWWaHfC
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 20, 2022
RELATED: Nikki Haley Already Concedes To Trump In 2024… If He Runs
Can Nikki Haley Win in 2024?
Nikki Haley made clear her intentions that if she were to throw a hat in the ring, the focus would be on running against President Joe Biden in 2024.
“If I run, I’m running against Joe Biden. That’s what I’m focused on, because we can’t have a second term of Joe Biden,” she told Baier.
Agreed. But, not sure if Haley understands how the process works, she will have to get through Trump first in the Republican primaries, and everyone else who decides to run.
And while Biden is the ultimate target, Haley wasn’t afraid to mix in some fighting words to indicate she’d be the better choice over Trump.
“I had a great working relationship with the [former] president. I appreciate all the foreign policy issues we worked on together,” she remarked.
“But what I will tell you is – the survival of America matters. And it’s bigger than one person,” Haley continued. “And when you are looking at the future of America, I think it’s time for new generational change.”
“I can tell you, [Donald Trump] will be more responsible than Joe Biden.”
Amb. Nikki Haley on the likelihood Donald Trump will run in 2024. pic.twitter.com/gQocMNy6P8
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 15, 2022
Haley’s willingness to waver back and forth depending on how the political winds are blowing hasn’t endeared her to Republican voters.
While she may be admired for her role as a former ambassador or governor, she doesn’t seem entirely up to the task of defeating Trump or Biden on the national stage.
A Morning Consult poll released Wednesday shows Trump leading Florida Governor DeSantis by 17 points in a hypothetical GOP primary matchup between the two conservative favorites.
Haley comes in with just 2% support in that same poll, 46 points behind Trump and 29 points behind DeSantis. In fact, she ranks behind former Vice President Mike Pence and recently ousted congresswoman Liz Cheney.
But that hasn’t tempered her enthusiasm.
“I look at the fact if I’m this passionate and I’m this determined, why not me?” Haley declared.
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