Trump gets Nikki Haley's vote, but he has to win back her voters himself

Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's most likely rival in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination through March, will vote for the former president in November. The former governor and former ambassador to the United Nations said this Wednesday during her first public appearance since withdrawing from the race this spring. Haley, 55, did not go so far as to call on the more than 4 million voters who voted for her in the primaries to follow her example.

Also after Haley shortly after Super Tuesday After withdrawing from the race, she continued to attract a notable number of votes in the remaining primaries in recent months — between 13 and 22 percent. Many of these voters cast mainly protest votes against Trump. Exit polls show that Haley's voters are mainly college-educated, affluent, suburban Republicans who are deeply alienated by Trump's right-wing populist grip on the party. Overall, one-fifth of voters are Republicans Primary elections I voted for her.

After her speech at the conservative Hudson Institute, in which she criticized current President Joe Biden, Haley was asked on Wednesday which of the two candidates would make a better president. She replied: “As a voter, I am looking for someone who supports allies and holds enemies accountable.” [Mexicaans-Amerikaanse] makes borders safe again without excuses,” who “supports capitalism and freedom” and “who understands that we need less debt, not more.”

Haley said her former political boss was not perfect in all of these areas. She continued: “But Biden is a disaster, so I will vote for Trump.”

Choosing between two evils

Like many American voters, she portrayed her vote in November as a choice between two evils. Polls show very little enthusiasm for the next iteration of the 2020 election race, with two older, well-known candidates still four years older.

For Trump, winning Haley's vote could be crucial. In polls of voters, a large number of them say they will not vote for Trump, especially if he has a criminal record before November in one of the four ongoing lawsuits against him. According to Haley, the former president could do more to reach her voters. “It would be smart for Trump to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and not assume they will support him. I sincerely hope he does.”

At the end of her campaign, Haley distanced herself more forcefully from Trump, including warning of his “deteriorating” mental condition. Her explanation of the vote may now fuel speculation that she is running for the vice presidential nomination. However, she and Trump have ruled it out. She likely wants to better position herself to run in 2028 within the Republican Party, where complete loyalty to Trump is the norm.

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Trump did not immediately respond to Haley's comments on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, he was busy fending off several Democratic attacks. All week, the Biden campaign has been calling attention to a political stunt video Trump shared on social media that appears to contain a Nazi term (“Unified Reich'). Trump also had to defend himself after a previous television interview in which he appeared to suggest allowing states to restrict contraception. This comes at a time when many voters feel dissatisfied with the Republicans' strict anti-abortion policy in the states.

This is exactly the kind of “chaos” that Nikki Haley focused on in her criticism of Trump during her election campaign.

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