Donald Trump Jr. Draws a Red Line for His Dad's Campaign

Donald Trump Jr. will not let Nikki Haley onto his father's 2024 ballot despite her growing popularity among Republican voters.

Trump Jr. told Newsmax on Monday night that he'd go through "great lengths" to make sure his dad, former President Donald Trump, wouldn't pick the former South Carolina governor as his vice president if he wins the GOP nomination.

"I wouldn't have her and I would go to great lengths to make sure that that doesn't happen," the younger Trump told Newsmax's Eric Bolling. "Nikki Haley wants never-ending wars. She's a puppet of the establishment in Washington, D.C. She's the new favorite candidate of the billionaire class because they want control—no different than academia and Harvard and using their billions to exercise influence."

Newsweek reached out to Haley's campaign via email for comment.

Haley has recently made significant gains in the Republican primary, emerging as a threat to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' second-place position. Trump continues to hold a commanding lead, with a 50-point advantage. But polls in New Hampshire show a closer race between Trump and Haley, where the former president only leads by a significantly narrower 4 points.

Trump Jr. acknowledged Haley's momentum on Monday, calling her the "preferred candidate" to challenge his father for the nomination.

"Ron DeSantis has proven that he doesn't have what it takes to be on that stage. He's embarrassed himself that way," he said. "She is now the preferred candidate."

His comments on Haley come just two weeks after his sister-in-law Lara Trump told the same network that the Trump campaign wasn't ruling out the former governor as VP.

"Crazier things have happened," Lara told Bolling when asked about the possibility of a Trump-Haley ticket. "I don't know, I would never say never with Donald J. Trump."

But Trump Jr. said the "second" that Haley were to be selected as his father's running mate, "it would be a disaster of epic proportions" because "all you get is... a team trying to destroy Donald Trump from within forever."

"I would hope that that is never on the table and I don't think it is," he said.

Politicos previously told Newsweek that while Haley could help Trump appeal to more moderate voters, a Haley-Trump ballot would require significant concessions from both candidates, who have vocally expressed their disapproval for one another.

"Haley would have to grovel, and at this point I believe she would be unwilling to do so," Republican strategist Alex Patton told Newsweek last month. "Trump will likely pick some sycophant who will feign undying fidelity to him, and I don't believe Nikki Haley is that person at this point. Nikki Haley has done that, been there and moved on."