GOP candidate Nikki Haley predicts either she or Vice President Kamala Harris will become the next American president and says that former President Donald Trump is not the “right person” for the job.
“We are going to have a female president of the United States. It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris,” Ms. Haley said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday.
“And if Donald Trump is the nominee for the Republican Party, he will not win. Every poll shows that. ... I’m not going to allow that to happen. I’m not stopping. I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to do this for the long haul and we’re going to finish it,” she added.
When asked whether this means she will not support President Trump if he eventually becomes the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential elections, Ms. Haley did not give a clear answer.
“That means I’m going to run, and I’m going to win. And y’all can talk about support later. Right now, you can ask him if he’s going to support me when I’m the nominee,” she said.
Ms. Haley said she was running against President Trump because she does not think “he’s the right person at the right time. I don’t think he should be president. The last thing on my mind is who I’m going to support.”
“The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to win this. The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to make sure that we correct what’s happening in America and we bring this country back together, allow her to heal and move in a strong way,” she added.
Ms. Haley said she voted for President Trump twice and that she was “proud” to serve the United States under his administration. However, both President Trump and President Joe Biden are currently “too old” for the job.
“Seventy percent of Americans have said they don’t want Donald Trump or Joe Biden to be their only choices. Fifty-nine percent of Americans have said Donald Trump is too old and Joe Biden is too old to run for president,” she stated.
“We need a new generational leader that’s not distracted by court cases, that’s not filled with vengeance towards our enemies, that’s not in the drama.”
Asked whether President Trump would back her if she becomes the Republican nominee, Ms. Haley replied, “I highly doubt it.”
She was speaking after a report from Special Counsel Robert Hur said that President Biden was an “elderly man with a poor memory” and raised questions about his ability to continue in office.
“I wish him well, I do. But this is serious, and we need to be very cautious of what’s happening because Russia, China, and Iran are paying attention to all of this,” she said.
Haley Versus Trump
Ms. Haley’s claim that she will be the Republican nominee comes as the GOP candidate is trailing far behind President Trump in the upcoming South Carolina primary scheduled for Feb. 24.“Trump looks very strong in South Carolina, leading Haley handily and holding a wide advantage over Biden in a potential general election matchup,” said Kevin Wagner, co-director of FAU’s PolCom Lab and professor of political science.
“Trump’s dominance here sets the stage for a decisive victory in the first in the south primary, while confirming South Carolina’s status as a solid red state in the 2024 general election,” Mr. Wagner added.
President Trump was found to be popular among older voters, men, and self-identified Republicans, while Ms. Haley was popular among women and younger voters.
“The other day, she had almost no people attend her ‘rally’ (We had thousands and thousands who couldn’t even get into the large arena), an embarrassment to her wonderful husband, in Africa. I think he should come back home to help save her dying campaign.”
In an interview with The Hill, Republican strategist Justin Sayfie said that “there’s no path to victory” for Ms. Haley, adding that “she must be running for some other reason.”
Moreover, Mr. Sayfie said: “If the polls are to be believed, she’s about to take a terrible electoral beating in her home state. It’s hard to imagine a more humiliating loss than that, and a more debilitating loss for future political prospects than that.”
