Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called on former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley this week to publicly state whether she would accept a vice presidential nomination from former President Donald Trump, should he win the GOP primary nomination.
DeSantis made the remarks while campaigning in New Hampshire on Friday as rumors have started gaining momentum that Trump would pick Haley as his running mate.
“I’m the only one that can beat Trump, let’s just be clear on that,” DeSantis told the audience. “Haley cannot get enough support from core Republicans and conservatives, she’s getting support from people who either aren’t Republicans or are on kind of the 10-15% [Never Trump-wing of the GOP], which is fine, I mean, you need those people for it to win the general. But you have to be able to appeal to conservatives and core Republicans, and I’m the only one that can do that.”
“And people that are for Trump, I’m their next choice,” he noted. “If everyone else got out, but me and Trump, all these other candidates, I would get that support because they’d see that. I’m the only one that can beat him. There’s a reason why they spend money against me, Haley and Trump spend money against me. He has not spent any money against her. And she has not spent any money against him. She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this, will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no?”
DeSantis said that he would not, under any circumstance, accept a vice presidential nomination from Trump because that’s not why he is running and he would “rather be governor than vice president” because he can “do more for my state and this country, without question.”
JUST NOW: DeSantis says voters are "owed an answer" on whether Nikki Haley would accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump: "Yes or no?"
“I’m the only one that can beat [Trump] — there’s a reason they spend money against me. He has not spent any money against her.… pic.twitter.com/7dI6kO9rcg
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 15, 2023
DeSantis’ remarks are largely accurate, according to campaign finance records that show that more money has been spent attacking him during the 2024 election than any other candidate, regardless of party. More money has been spent attacking him than all other Republicans combined.
2024 POTUS candidates targeted by negative independent expenditures (as of 12/14)
$30,108,510 DeSantis
$20,725,030 Biden
$18,876,410 Trump$9,107,569 Haley
$70,390 Ramaswamy
$2,664 Christie
$1,875 Hutchinson https://t.co/ioJWXPv4o0 pic.twitter.com/La9v0NJHfT— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) December 15, 2023
The rumor mill about Haley being who Trump wants to be his VP-pick started this last week when his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, suggested that Trump was open to the idea when asked about it on Newsmax.
When asked about it by radio host Howie Carr on Friday, Trump said while it was “unlikely”, he did find the idea “interesting” but said he wasn’t “even thinking about that.”
“I’ve always gotten along with Nikki,” he added.
The rumor was substantiated by the response that several of Trump’s most diehard allies in Congress posted on social media this week.
“MAGA would revolt if Nikki Haley were to even be given an internship in Trump’s next administration,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). “She represents the neocon establishment America last wing of the Republican Party that we are absolutely done with. Also, she lied and said she would not run against Trump.”
“Correct,” responded Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) added, “Nikki Haley would be a terrible VP pick.”