United States – Former Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley revealed on Wednesday that she will support current president Donald Trump in the November poll, despite having been a fierce critic of the latter for several months.
Haley’s Decision
The question of where Haley’s support will be taken after a draft with incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 general election has elicited noticeable controversy, as reported by Reuters.
Even though Haley pulled out of the Republican nomination race in March, her name remains on the ballots, and she received over 10 percent of the votes in the state-run primary elections even though she does not campaign actively for them.
Some of it is from registered Republicans and independents who are unhappy with Trump, but some Democrats have also started looking for these votes.
However, Haley, who was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for two years during Trump’s administration, did not even seriously challenge the former president for the nomination; after securing only one state and D.C., she dropped out of the race. However, the strong words she used against him regarding his character and his ability to perform his duties in the last few months of her campaign made Haley the symbol of the remaining opposition to Trump within the Republican Party.
Haley’s Evolution on Trump
“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,” Haley said to the crowd on Wednesday during a Q&A session at the conservative think tank Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.
The comments came after a speech where she outlined her vision on foreign policy, and this was the first occasion where she came out publicly after dropping out.
Her campaign recently ended, and she did not support Trump; now, she has not officially offered her support to him.
Earlier, she urged Trump to ‘ask her’ and grab the attention of her voters, which she also echoed on Wednesday.
Trump’s Response and Haley’s Appeal
“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 said, as reported by Reuters.
Trump’s campaign has mostly ignored those demands, arguing that what Haley’s vote is looking for are most often democrats, whereas, even though many are registered republicans.