In her first national security speech since suspending her presidential campaign, Nikki Haley announced her intention to vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election. Despite her criticisms of the former president’s policies, Haley emphasized that President Joe Biden has been a “catastrophe” for the country.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., Nikki Haley said, “Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I’ve made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So I will be voting for Trump. Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech.”
Haley highlighted the importance for Trump to earn the support of her voters, stating, “Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him.”
Haley’s endorsement comes after she previously refrained from supporting Trump during her earlier campaigns. She had urged Trump to “earn the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him.”
Her declaration of support coincides with her new role as the Walter P. Stern professor at the conservative Hudson Institute. During her speech, she criticized the growing trend towards isolationism within the Republican Party and lambasted Biden’s foreign policy.
“A loud part of each party wants us to abandon our allies, appease our enemies, and focus only on the problems we have at home,” Haley said. “This worldview has already put America in great danger — and the threat is mounting by the day.”
The Biden campaign responded swiftly to Haley’s remarks. Biden spokesperson Michael Tyler asserted that there remains a segment of GOP voters who reject “the chaos, division, and violence that Donald Trump embodies.” Tyler added, “Nothing has changed for the millions of Republican voters who continue to cast their ballots against Donald Trump in the primaries and care deeply about the future of our democracy, standing strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, and working across the aisle to get things done for the American people.”
Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, previewed her role leading up to the November election. As she criticizes Biden, she champions an interventionist foreign policy, particularly in her support for Israel. Haley announced plans to visit Israel soon to demonstrate her backing for the Israeli people.
Haley’s speech underscores her unique position within the GOP, balancing her critiques of Biden with a call for Trump to actively engage with her supporters. As the election approaches, her influence and stance on foreign policy will likely shape discussions within the party.