Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Monday that she will support former President Donald Trump if he becomes the GOP’s nominee for the 2024 election — but doesn’t think the GOP frontrunner can win a second term in the White House.
Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Haley said she does not think Trump can win in a general election and believes Republicans must nominate someone else, but added that she would still support Trump if he becomes the nominee.
“I would support him because I am not going to have a President Kamala Harris,” Haley said. “We can’t afford that. That is not going to happen.”
While Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., affirmed she would support her former boss, she remained doubtful that another Trump nomination would be good for the Republican Party.
“But I will tell you, you look at these indictments, there’s probably going to be a fourth indictment. We can’t have, as Republicans, him as the nominee,” the former governor added. “He can’t win a general election. That’s the problem. We’ve got to go and have someone who can actually win.”
Earlier in the interview, Haley downplayed early polls showing her far behind Trump — who holds a massive lead in the race — and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who is currently polling in second place.
“This is a marathon; it’s not a sprint,” she said. “We’re just getting started. This will really start to shake up post-Labor Day.”
In the all-important Iowa Caucus, Trump sits at over 50%, leading DeSantis (19%), Sen. Tim Scott (7%), and Haley, who along with former Vice President Mike Pence sits at just 4%, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The first Republican presidential debate will be held on August 23 in Milwaukee, and so far, Haley has qualified with six other candidates to appear on stage. One of Trump’s advisers, however, has said the former president is unlikely to participate in the debate.
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Last month, Haley took aim at both Trump and DeSantis, criticizing them for refusing to say whether they want Ukraine to win its war against Russia. The former governor also said Trump allowed China to grow stronger militarily while he was in office.
Haley told “Squawk Box” that she focuses on being forthright when it comes to criticizing Trump.
“There are people who really want me to like Trump 100% of the time or not like him 100% of the time. That’s not how I think. I shoot it straight. If he does something good, I support him. If he doesn’t do something good, I hit him on it.”
