“Every time she criticizes me, she uncriticizes me about 15 minutes later.”
— Former President Donald Trump, quoted by The Hill, on his former U.N. ambassador and possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley.
Nikki Haley’s Tortured Path to 2024
Charlie Sykes reviews Nikki Haley’s political judgement so far this year as she positions herself for a presidential run:
- She’s broken with Trump over his handling of the Capitol riot.
- She walked that back, declaring “Give the man a break!”
- She broke with Trump again, telling Tim Alberta that “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.”
- She walked that back, with an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, in which she gushed about Trump’s extraordinary successes and blamed the “liberal media” for wanting “to stoke a nonstop Republican civil war.”
- She tried to follow that up with a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, which Trump declined.
Nikki Haley Unveils PAC Ahead of Possible 2024 Bid
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced her new political action committee on Wednesday in an email to her supporters amid speculation over a possible 2024 presidential bid, The Hill reports.
Nikki Haley for Veep Talk Fizzles
Gabriel Sherman: “According to sources, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s effort to draft Nikki Haley to replace Pence on the 2020 ticket has fizzled. During her book tour month, Haley stoked speculation that she was positioning herself to replace Pence when she torched Trump nemeses Rex Tillerson and John Kelly while lavishing praise on Trump… The thinking was that Haley appealed to suburban women, a crucial demographic Trump fares poorly with.”
“But Republicans close to the White House told me Haley had made the determination that joining the ticket, or even replacing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, would be a net negative for her 2024 ambitions.”
Haley Defends Trump as ‘Truthful’
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley offered an unequivocal defense of President Trump, insisting in a Today Show interview that he is a “truthful” leader who is perfectly suited to high office.
Said Haley: “I never had any concern on whether he could handle the job, ever… In every instance that I dealt with him he was truthful, he listened, and he was great to work with.”
Nikki Haley Criticizes Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blasted President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria and allow Turkey to carry out an operation in the region.
Said Haley: “We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back. The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake.”
Nikki Haley Moving Back to South Carolina
“Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is moving back to her native South Carolina, re-establishing a home base and also fueling speculation that a return to politics is next on her to-do list,” the AP reports.
“Haley has been living in New York City since resigning her post at the end of 2018 but has maintained high popularity in South Carolina.”
Ivanka Trump Has Discussed Replacing Pence
Axios reporter Jonathan Swan told MSNBC that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have discussed the possibility of replacing Vice President Mike Pence with Nikki Haley on the 2020 Republican ticket.
Said Swan: “Certainly, there have been a number of people telling people in the White House, including the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump, that Nikki Haley would be a politically smart choice to replace Pence. So this is partly why a lot of these rumors have been circulating.”
Haley-Pence Rivalry Heats Up
“When top Republicans convened at the St. Regis resort in Aspen, Colo. last month for an exclusive donor retreat, several attendees said there was palpable tension in the room as the gathering’s two headliners prepared to speak: Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley,” Politico reports.
“The assembled group of governors, high-dollar donors, and operatives were well aware that the two have big ambitions; to some it seemed as if Pence and Haley, who spoke on back-to-back days, were vying for their attention. Some in the audience found themselves parsing and comparing the two speeches and buzzed they were getting a sneak preview of a 2024 Republican primary. Others recalled something peculiar: Neither Pence nor Haley acknowledged each other in their presentations, even though they gave shout-outs to others attending the retreat.”
Nikki Haley Heads to Iowa
“Since leaving the United Nations last year, Nikki Haley’s moves have been closely watched for signs that the former South Carolina governor will run for the White House in 2024,” the Charleston Post & Courier reports.
“A new advocacy group, a new book and a series of high-profile speaking engagements were seen as steps toward a presidential bid.”
“Now Haley is heading to Iowa.”
Nikki Haley Begins to Look Past Trump
Politico: “Haley is emerging as a fundraiser and surrogate for 2020 Republican Senate candidates, and next month will begin zigzagging across the country to campaign for a trio of GOP senators…. The former South Carolina governor’s summer itinerary includes a June 15 stop in Boone, Iowa, where Haley will help Sen. Joni Ernst launch her reelection campaign at Ernst’s annual Roast ’n Ride event, where Iowans are slated to grill over 2,000 pounds of pork.”
“Given its location in a key presidential caucus state, the event is sure to spark murmurs about Haley’s own political ambitions, including the prospect of a 2024 presidential bid.”
Nikki Haley Has a Book Coming
Out this fall: With All Due Respect by Nikki Haley.
Nikki Haley Lays Groundwork to Seize Trump’s Mantle
“Nikki Haley (R) is meticulously laying the foundation for a presidential bid in 2024, forming a nonprofit organization to sustain her political-rock-star profile while she builds a financial nest egg so her family can afford her political ambitions,” the Washington Examiner reports.
“Party insiders keeping tabs on Haley say the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations wouldn’t challenge her old boss, President Trump, in the 2020 primary. But the dynamic ex-South Carolina governor, just 47, is expected to mount a campaign four years later. With a coterie of advisers, Haley is choosing each step to maximize her notoriety and chart a course to the White House.”
Nikki Haley Starts Policy Group Amid 2024 Speculation
Washington Post: “She insists she is not planning that far ahead, even as her range of activities suggest she is keeping her options open.”
“The organization’s initial list of subjects reflects Haley’s conservative worldview and political instincts, while its website features photographs of Haley traveling the world as U.N. ambassador and taking questions in the White House briefing room. The group’s policy positions mostly align with Trump’s, while also bearing echoes of traditional Republican views that have taken a back seat during the populist-flavored Trump era. She is tougher rhetorically on Russia than her former boss usually is and says she disagrees with Trump’s preference for punitive tariffs as a negotiating tactic in trade disputes.”
Nikki Haley Charging $200K Per Speech
“Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is currently quoting $200,000 and the use of a private jet for domestic speaking engagements,” CNBC reports.
“Engagements outside the United States could cost considerably more.”
“Haley’s lucrative fee propels her into a league populated by U.S. presidents, former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, former first lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”
Scarborough Tells Democrats to Prepare for Nikki Haley
Joe Scarborough told his Morning Joe viewers that President Trump might not be the Republican nominee for president in 2020.
Said Scarborough: “If I were actually wargaming this, I would tell everybody thinking about running, plan your campaign against Donald Trump, but expect to be running against Nikki Haley. You have to think that way.”
Haley Plans to Stay In New York
“Former Gov. Nikki Haley is not coming straight back to the Palmetto State after she leaves the United Nations at year’s end,” the Charleston Post and Courier reports.
“She plans on staying in New York where her son attends high school.”
“Haley, 46, has not revealed what she will do when she leaves the United Nations after two years. The Post and Courier has learned a second book is the works.”
Haley Breaks with Trump
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley insisted that “in America, our political opponents are not evil,” a sharp rhetorical break from President Trump, who has labeled Democrats as “evil,” crime-loving and unwilling to defend the nation, Politico reports.
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