Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday would not say directly whether she would support former President Trump if he’s the ultimate party nominee for president.
During the first 2024 GOP primary debate, Haley was among the vast majority of candidates who raised their hands to signal they’d support Trump if he became the party nominee, even if he’s a convicted felon. Candidates were required to sign a pledge to back the party nominee to participate in the debate.
In the months since, however, Haley has emerged as the last standing GOP challenger to Trump and, as a result, has sharpened her attack on her primary opponent.
In an interview with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday, Haley was asked whether she stands by that pledge — even though she had recently criticized Trump’s NATO threats and called Trump “unhinged” and “unfit” for office.
“I mean, keep in mind, I am running against him for a reason. I’m running against him because … I don’t 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,” Haley said before making the argument that she is the most electable candidate and the most likely to win in the general election.
She added: “If Donald Trump is the nominee for the Republican Party, he will not win. Every poll shows that. He will not win, and we will have a president Kamala Harris. 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.”
Pressed whether that meant she would not back Trump if he’s the Republican nominee, Haley dodged again.
“That means I’m going to run and I’m going to win, and y’all can talk about support later,” Haley responded. “Right now, you can ask him if he’s going to support me when I’m the nominee.”
“Do you think he would?” Karl asked.
“Do you think he would?” Haley said with a laugh. “I highly doubt it.”