Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, said she did not seek the blessing of former President Donald Trump to run for the White House in 2024.
In an interview with NBC’s “Today” broadcast Thursday, the former South Carolina governor confirmed he called Trump weeks before announcing his bid.
“I’ll keep that call private,” Haley said. “I didn’t ask, I said I had to go in a new direction.”
Haley on Wednesday officially launched her campaign in Charleston, South Carolina, calling for “a new generation of leadership” and becoming the first Republican to challenge Trump for the party’s nomination. During the event, he did not mention the former president.
Trump, who announced he was running for office in November, previously said Haley called him to say she was considering a presidential bid.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to do it,'” Trump recalled telling him. “I talked to him for a while. I said, ‘Look, you know, go into your heart if you want to run.’
In making the decision to run, Haley went back on her earlier statement in April 2021 that she would not launch a presidential bid if it meant challenging Trump.
“When I first said I wouldn’t fight him, Afghanistan hasn’t collapsed, we haven’t seen an increase in inflation like I’ve seen,” he said, adding that the results of the midterm elections were also a factor. decision.
Republicans fared poorly in November and just won back the House, while Democrats retained control of the Senate.
In her campaign launch video, Haley noted the fact that Republicans have “lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.”
“This has to change,” he said.
Haley did not directly criticize Trump in her latest appearance.
Asked to explain how she could say the Republican Party needs Trump after condemning his role in the January 6, 2021 uprising, Haley replied: “When I see something right, I praise it. When I see something wrong, I criticize it.”
Haley, the daughter of two Indian immigrants, was first elected governor in 2010. She was re-elected in 2014 but left the position halfway through the term to join the Trump Cabinet.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump suggested Haley’s appointment as ambassador was done as a favor to the people of South Carolina since Henry McMaster, who was lieutenant governor at the time, would replace Haley in the state’s highest office.
McMaster joined Trump on stage during one of the first events of the campaign cycle last month in South Carolina, where Trump said the governor would lead his campaign in the state.
Haley, who was not at Trump’s campaign event, is likely to face a crowded primary with other Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are expected to join the race.
During an interview on NBC, Haley was asked to explain her position on the country’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The war in Ukraine and Russia is not about Ukraine; it’s about freedom – and it’s a war we have to win,” he said as the conflict approaches its one-year mark.
However, Haley warned that the US should not write a “blank check” to Kyiv, citing a talking point among House Republicans.
He said the U.S. should give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ammunition and equipment to defend his country, but “not money.”