As is expected, there has been much speculation over the 2024 presidential election and who may or may not be running. One of the biggest questions is whether or not former President Donald Trump will be putting his name in the hat for the White House again.
And as it turns it out, if he does, several of his possible opponents may not.
Or at least that is what was recently announced from one of the most mentioned possible 2024 GOP candidates, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
On Monday, while attending a news conference at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, she was asked by a reporter if she would support another presidential run for her former boss.
And to nearly everyone’s surprise, she said yes.
She told the press, “Yes, I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it.” She continued, saying, “I would talk to him about it. You know, that’s something that we will have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made.”
At this time last year, the remarks made by Haley might not have been so unexpected. At that point, Haley was still very much a staunch supporter of the president and working hard to ensure his second term in the White House.
However, since then, or should I say since the January 6 incursion on the Capital building in DC, the former South Carolina governor has rescinded that support, telling the press that his words and his “actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history.”
As Politico reported at the time, she said during a closed-door meeting of the Republican National Committee, “President Trump has not always chosen the right words. He was wrong with his words in Charlottesville, and I told him so at the time. He was badly wrong with his words yesterday. And it wasn’t just his words. His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history.”
And later, in a separate interview with Politico’s Tim Alberta, she stated, “We need to acknowledge (Trump) 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. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”
Understandably, these statements have caused some tension between her and the former president, allegedly causing him to turn down a request to speak with her.
Nevertheless, Haley seems to have put it all behind her. On Monday, she said that she “had a great working relationship with Trump” and “appreciated the way he let me do my job.”
So why the sudden change of heart?
Well, maybe she realized that she, like all too many Americans, jumped to hasty conclusions shortly after the attacks on the Capitol. And, as such, perhaps she is just trying to make amends.
However, the other and possibly more likely assumption is that she understands that Trump is still very popular with the Republican Party and its members nationwide. And due to that popularity, whoever decides to run as a GOP will likely need to do so with Trump’s approval or at least being in his good graces – that is, should Trump decide not to run himself.
Not that poll results can mean all that much at this time, but current ones do suggest that, with Trump in the running, only he has a real shot at winning the GOP nomination. Both Morning Consult and Fabrizo, Lee & Associates give above 50 percent.
Only after his name is removed from the possible candidates list that names such as former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seem to have much of a chance at all, coming in with 19 and 17 percent, respectively. And it is noted that Haley still only garners about 8 percent if Trump doesn’t run and 6 percent when he does.
Haley may be seeing the need to, at the very least, appear to be on Donald Trump’s side. Of course, that means, should he decide to run, Haley will be forced to sit this one out, as she’s now officially promised she would do so.