Nikki Haley Concerned Donald Trump Won't Follow Constitution

In an appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she doesn't know if former President Donald Trump will follow the U.S. Constitution if elected to a second term.

When asked by host Kristen Welker if she believed Trump would follow the Constitution if reelected, the former South Carolina governor paused and replied, "I don't know. You always want to think someone will, but I don't know. When you go and you talk about revenge, when you talk about vindication, what does that mean? Only he can answer for that."

Haley added: "I don't think there should ever be a president that's above the law or have total immunity to do whatever they want to do. We need to have someone that our kids can look up to and that they can be proud of."

Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email Sunday morning for a response. This story will be updated with any provided statements.

The Context:

Trump and Haley are set to compete in the busiest day of the primary season, with more than a dozen states holding races on Super Tuesday to decide on the next Republican presidential nominee.

Trump has already cemented his position as the clear favorite to clinch the 2024 GOP nomination, following resounding victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Michigan.

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, has dismissed calls that she should drop out of the race after failing to win any of the previous primary elections, including in her home state of South Carolina. She said her campaign is focusing on Super Tuesday.

What We Know:

On Sunday, Welker followed up her question to Haley about Trump following the Constitution by asking, "What does that say about the state of the Republican Party if you don't know if the GOP frontrunner will follow the Constitution?"

"That's not the Republican Party. That is Donald Trump," Haley responded. "What I am saying is, we deserve better. Americans deserve better. We can't say our best two options are Joe Biden and Donald Trump."

Views:

In an interview on ABC News' This Week with host Jonathan Karl in December, three former Trump staffers warned what a second Trump term could look like, adding that it represents a danger to democracy if he's reelected.

While speaking alongside Sarah Matthews and Cassidy Hutchinson, Alyssa Farrah Griffin voiced concerns over the idea of another Trump presidency.

"Fundamentally a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it and I don't say that lightly," Griffin, a former White House communications director, said. "We all witnessed him trying to steal a democratic election before and going to historic and unconstitutional lengths to do so and that just shows he is willing to basically break every barrier to get into power and to stay in power, but I'm also very concerned what the term would actually look like."

Matthews, a former White House deputy press secretary, emphasized how Trump's behavior has only added to her fears over what a second term would look like.

"We don't need to speculate what a second Trump term would look like because we already saw it play out," she said. "To this day he still doubles down on the fact that he thinks the election was stolen and then his rhetoric has just gotten increasingly erratic. I mean he has literally called for things like doing away with parts of the constitution, wanting to weaponize the DOJ to enact revenge on his political enemies."

What's Next?

On Sunday, Welker also pressed Haley regarding the Republican National Committee (RNC) pledge to endorse Trump if he wins the Republican nomination.

"The RNC is not the same RNC. Now it's Trump's RNC," Haley said.

However, Haley said she remains "at home" as a Republican despite Trump's success against her in the primaries.

"I am a Republican and I know that there are thousands of people showing up at our events that are Republicans that believe in fiscal responsibility, unlike Donald Trump," she said. "That believe in limited government, unlike Donald Trump. That do believe we should stand with our allies in peace through strength. That do believe you can't go and call names and say things and blast against the bureaucracy, and do all these things to cause this anger."

Update: 03/03/24, 11 a.m.: This story has been updated with more information.

Update: 03/03/24, 10:29 a.m.: This story has been updated with more information.