Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will reportedly announce that she will seek to be the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee in the coming days.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that Haley will make her formal announcement on February 15 at The Shed, located at the Charleston Visitor Center in downtown Charleston.
Haley’s apparent decision to run against former President Donald Trump comes after she previously pledged to not run for president if Trump was running.
Haley told the Associated Press that “yes” she would support Trump if the former president launched a campaign for 2024. “I would not run if President Trump ran,” Haley said.
I asked @NikkiHaley if she would support Donald Trump if he runs again in 2024.
“Yes,” she told me.
“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she added. “That’s something that we will have a conversation about, at some point.”
Story upcoming pic.twitter.com/8uGwxk2s84
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) April 12, 2021
The Associated Press later confirmed The Post and Courier of Charleston’s report, adding that Haley’s top supporters are expected to get an email invitation to the launch event.
The Washington Post reported that Haley may release a video this week announcing that she will run for president in an effort to create “enthusiasm” and drive attendance to her launch event.
The Post highlighted remarks from David Urban, a former Trump adviser close to many of the potential 2024 candidates, who cautioned that getting into the race too soon was not a good idea.
“There’s no benefit to being in early,” said Urban. “You don’t want to be in the ring getting banged on by the former president in a one-on-one. There’s no reason anyone has to get in right now. There’s no urgency for anyone. Everyone is sitting and waiting.”
Critics cast Haley as a candidate who is not right for the current moment in U.S. politics, but the former U.N. ambassador believes that she is the right candidate.
“When you’re looking at a run for president, you look at two things,” Haley said during a Fox News interview. “You first look at, does the current situation push for new leadership? The second question is, am I that person that could be that new leader, that, yes, we need to go in a new direction? And can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”
Haley appeared to take a shot at Trump’s age during the interview, saying that it was “time for new generational change.”
“I don’t think you need to be 80 years old to go be a leader in D.C.,” she added. “I think we need a young generation to come in, step up, and really start fixing things.”