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Nikki Haley's 'proximity' to Donald Trump and his policies sees voters sliding away

Nikki Haley's indecisiveness and changing statements regarding former President Donald Trump may cost her bid for the 2024 presidential election

WASHINGTON, DC: Despite the overwhelming presence of former President Donald Trump in the party, Nikki Haley’s performance in the polls suggests a return to a more conventional Republican ideology as the GOP primary narrows in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections.

Having said that, her ability to bridge the gap between the Trump supporters and the opposers will be a crucial test of whether the Republican party can be unified, especially due to her flip-flopping stance on the former president. 

Haley was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004 and served three terms before becoming the state's first female governor in 2011. During her tenure, she signed legislation to remove the Confederate flag from the state house in the aftermath of the 2015 Charleston church shooting.

She delivered her party's response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in 2016.

Under the Trump administration, Haley was appointed the United States ambassador to the United Nations in 2017.

She's changed her stance on Trump several times in the last few years, before, during, and after joining his administration, going from denouncing to admiring the 45th US President.

Donald Trump’s presidential bid in 2016

During Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Nikki Haley supposedly attacked his plan to build a border wall as well as his other immigration policies.

At the time, Haley said, "Republicans need to remember that the fabric of America came from these legal immigrants," as per TIME. 

Haley, the daughter of Indian-origin parents who migrated to the US, stated, “If you want to talk about tackling illegal immigration, then let’s talk about it, but we don’t need to attack so many millions of people who came here. . . and did it the right way, like my parents.”

Haley did not address Trump by name in her 2016 State of the Union response, but she did say, "During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices."

Prior to her state's primary, she was very straightforward in stating that the former POTUS embodied "everything a governor doesn’t want in a President."

She made it clear that she would not support the controversial business mogul and ultimately endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio. After he dropped out, she backed Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Eventually, before the general election, Haley announced that she intended to vote for Trump despite apparently not being a fan of his. A few weeks later, she accepted a position in his Cabinet.

Nikki Haley’s tenure as US ambassador to the UN

During her time as the US ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley wasn't afraid to publicly differentiate herself from him on certain issues.

While Trump was criticized for not unequivocally condemning Russia's apparent interference in the 2016 US election, Haley took a tough stance, calling it "warfare" when a country meddles in another's elections.

Whereas when Trump had called NATO "obsolete," Haley argued that it was crucial for the US to maintain its alliances and that we needed more allies than ever.

She also acknowledged the sexual harassment allegations against Trump, saying that everyone should be willing to listen to the accusers.

Despite these differences, Haley resigned from her position in 2018 on her own terms and received a rare glowing speech from the former president.

However, in her book ‘With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace’, published in 2019, she praised him, explaining his strategy of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to keep communications between the two nations open.

During her book tour, she spoke positively about Trump, saying he was truthful and great to work with in her dealings with him.

Nikki Haley’s take on the January 6 Capitol insurrection

Nikki Haley initially held former President Donald Trump responsible for the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and hinted that the Republican Party would move forward without him.

In an interview with Politico the week after the attack, Haley expressed her belief that Trump's political influence had been irreparably damaged. She stated that he had no chance of becoming a viable political candidate again and that the GOP would distance itself from him.

"I think he’s lost any sort of political viability he was going to have… He’s not going to run for federal office again… I don’t think he’s going to be in the picture. … I don’t think he can. He’s fallen so far," stated Haley. 

Furthermore, she criticized Trump's role in inciting the riot and urged the party to learn from its mistakes.

"We need to acknowledge he let us down," asserted the former governor of South Carolina, adding, "He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again."

However, by October 2021, Haley had altered her stance. She spoke to the Wall Street Journal about her belief that Trump still had value as a political figure.

"He has the ability to get strong people elected, and he has the ability to move the ball, and I hope that he continues to do that," said Haley to the news outlet, along with, "We need him in the Republican Party. I don’t want us to go back to the days before Trump."

Nikki Haley’s presidential bid for 2024 elections

Nikki Haley also walked back on her statement about how Donald Trump's campaign might affect her own. She stated in a 2021 press conference that she would back Trump if he ran in 2024.

"I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it," claimed Haley in 2021, adding, "That’s something that we’ll have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made."

Despite going back on her word of not running against the former president, she sought his approval prior to announcing her candidacy.

In February this year, Trump informed reporters that he had a brief conversation with her, revealing, "I said, ‘Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run. She’s publicly said that ‘I would never run against my President, he was a great President'." 

Internet blasts Haley for her flip-flopping in her stance about Donald Trump

Nikki Haley’s changing stance on Donald Trump, as well as her proximity to him, might affect her bid for the 2024 presidential election. Voters of the Republican Party haven't shied away from calling out her apparent inability to make up her mind about the former president. 

An X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, "Nikki Haley loves Donald Trump. She loves and champions Donald Trump's policies. She is a dangerous, shameless transactional politician who has managed to fool some members of the media this year. But don't get suckered by this hardcore tool for the hard right. Just don't."

Another quipped, "Nikki Haley still hasn't figured out if she burns off more calories running away from Donald Trump or crawling back to him." 

"IMHO, she will be his VP candidate when he wins the nomination," claimed a person.

Someone else added, "Earlier this week, Haley refused to answer a teenager's question as to whether Trump is a threat to our Democracy. If she can't answer that question honestly to everyone including teenagers she is not capable of running our country."

"I’ve been saying this for a longtime… DO NOT TRUST HER, folks," wrote one more, while a netizen dubbed her a "flip flopping opportunist."

"Let's not forget she said she would pardon him if she was elected," asserted someone who clearly doesn't like Trump, with another adding, "Because she lacks any originals of her own."

A GOP supporter expressed, "The only candidate even close to NORMAL is Christie but he won’t win bc republicans can’t face the truth he’s telling them!!!!!!"