Former President Donald J. Trump’s two main opponents in the 2024 presidential primary—former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—addressed the Republican National Convention (RNC), part of a clear effort to signal unity in the party ahead of November’s general election.
Although Ms. Haley initially faced a mix of cheers and boos, thunderous applause greeted her unequivocal show of support for her party’s nominee, the strongest to date this cycle.
“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear. President Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” said Ms. Haley in her July 16 remarks at the convention.
She also thanked the former president for inviting her to speak.
“You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him,” she said before laying out the argument for her former boss’s superiority to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
After Ms. Haley’s address, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s appearance was met with strong cheers from the RNC crowd.
“We cannot let him [former President Trump] down, and we cannot let America down,” Mr. DeSantis said.
“Let’s elect Republicans up and down the ballot, and let’s heed the call of our nominee to fight, fight, fight for these United States,” he said at the end of his remarks.
Former President Trump was formally nominated on the afternoon of July 15, the convention’s first day. He also named Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.
Although Mr. DeSantis lost to former President Trump in the Iowa caucus, the governor only left the race shortly before the second contest of the primary season schedule in New Hampshire. He backed the former president, calling Ms. Haley as “the candidate of the globalists and Democrats.”
It took many more weeks for Ms. Haley to suspend her campaign. She stayed in after losing the primary in South Carolina, the state she once led. Amidst a string of losses, Ms. Haley won the primary in the District of Columbia.
While former President Trump claimed majorities across America, a significant minority of voters continued casting ballots for the former South Carolina governor, even after she departed the race.
Her run benefited from funding provided by conservatives and conservative organizations known to be critical of former President Trump, including Americans for Prosperity, the billionaire Koch family’s political network.
In May, she said she would vote for the man who defeated her.
Amidst an RNC that has hosted more than a few unexpected voices, including Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien and actress Amber Rose, Ms. Haley called for her party to make a bigger tent.
“We are so much better when we are bigger,” she said.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who lost to former President Trump during the 2016 primaries, also spoke on July 16.
Ms. Haley’s evening remarks came after a speech from Iowa’s attorney general, Brenna Bird. The official in the first-in-the-nation caucus state endorsed former President Trump in October 2023. The state law enforcement officer’s speech brought home the evening’s “Make America Safe Again” theme.
