Trump Denies He’s Considering Nikki Haley for VP

(Left) Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a Super Tuesday election night watch party at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 5, 2024. (Right) Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign rally in Portland, Maine, on March 3, 2024. Chandan Khanna, Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump has put to rest rumors that he’s considering former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as his running mate in the 2024 election.

As anticipation builds for who would serve as President Trump’s vice president if he wins the election in November, rumors have swirled that Ms. Haley is in contention.

President Trump took to social media on May 11 to put those rumors to rest.

“Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!” the former president wrote.

A day prior, anonymous sources told Axios that Ms. Haley was under active consideration by the Trump campaign as a possible running mate.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon speculated that the rumors were “spin” from certain donors and “maybe Republican operatives floating around Trump world.”

Before dropping out of the presidential race, Ms. Haley emerged as President Trump’s most formidable foe in the primaries. While she avoided direct attacks against the former president, she portrayed him as a controversial figure who the country should look past for someone younger and fresher for the presidency.

President Trump has, in the past, remarked that he doesn’t think Ms. Haley has what it takes to serve in the Oval Office.

“She’s not tough enough. She’s not smart enough,” President Trump said in January of Ms. Haley’s ability to serve as commander-in-chief. “She cannot do this job.”

For her part, Ms. Haley repeatedly said during the primaries that she wouldn’t be interested in serving as President Trump’s No. 2.

In January, the former president said he already knew who he would pick for his running mate, although he has kept a close lid on who that might be.

VP Chatter

President Trump said in September 2023 that he liked the idea of a woman serving as his vice president if elected to the Oval Office in 2024, although he was quick to note that it’s a bad idea to make gender a decisive factor.

“Are you leaning toward a woman?” NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker asked President Trump in a mid-September 2023 interview.

“I like the concept, but we’re going to pick the best person,” President Trump replied. “But I do like the concept, yes.”

Former President and 2024 Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at a Team Trump Iowa Commit to Caucus event in Maquoketa, Iowa, on Sept. 20, 2023. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Rumors have long swirled that President Trump was considering a woman as his running mate in order to court the female suburban vote that some strategists believe would be key to beating President Joe Biden.

Mr. Bannon said he thinks a woman is destined for the role.

“I believe that President Trump will have a female [as his VP],” he said, speaking with ex-Trump press secretary Sean Spicer during a Dec. 15, 2023, podcast.

There’s been speculation about other potential VP picks, including Vivek Ramaswamy—after President Trump indicated that he was open to the idea of having him as a potential running mate.

In February, President Trump confirmed several shortlisters to be his running mate, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Mr. Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii).

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of three finalists on President Trump’s 2016 shortlist, told the Associated Press recently that the decision could come at the last minute.

“In the end, it’s up to him. He will intuitively decide who should be his vice president, and he’ll listen to everybody up until that moment and then he’ll decide,” Mr. Gingrich told the outlet.