Nikki Haley Reacts to Tim Scott's Trump Endorsement: 'Bloodsport'

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is shaking off the fact that Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, gave his official endorsement to Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential race on Friday.

This past November, Scott announced during a Fox News interview that he was suspending his 2024 presidential campaign.

"When I go back to Iowa it will not be as a presidential candidate," he said. "I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they're telling me: 'Not now Tim.'"

Speaking to Fox News' Neil Cavuto on Saturday morning, Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, said the senator will now have to "live with [his] decision."

Scott gave his much-anticipated endorsement to Trump during a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, on Friday night. Cavuto also noted that Haley appointed Scott to the Senate—in order to fill a vacancy left by Jim DeMint's retirement—and asked if she was "surprised or disappointed" by his endorsement.

"South Carolina is a bloodsport. Everyone has a decision to make and they have to live with their decision. He'll have to live with his," she said, who added that Scott didn't call her ahead of his Trump endorsement.

Dr. Scott Huffmon, director of The Winthrop Poll initiative at Winthrop University in South Carolina, told Newsweek on Saturday via phone that while Scott endorsing Trump may not be a big surprise, the timing is worth noting.

"I do think it was a bit of a surprise that it's before New Hampshire," he said. "Nikki Haley is hanging a lot on New Hampshire before she heads to South Carolina."

Newsweek reached out to Scott, along with the Haley and Trump campaigns, via email on Saturday afternoon for additional comment.

Haley also downplayed the importance of substantial endorsements by federal and state lawmakers compared to her Republican rival.

"What I know, we're going to continue to go forward. Trump focused a lot of time getting as many Washington insiders and elected officials' endorsements as he can," she told Cavuto. "If you notice, I haven't tried to do any of that for the simple reason of, in South Carolina, you won't see a lot of legislative endorsements for me because I forced them to have to show their votes on the record, forced them to have ethics reform and called out Republicans and Democrats for spending and vetoed half a billion of their spending.

"In Congress, I said we need to have term limits and mental competency tests. And if they can't get us a budget on time, they're not going to get paid."

The South Carolina GOP primary will be held on February 24.

According to RealClearPolitics polling averages, Haley faces an uphill battle in her home state, trailing Trump by an average of 52 percent to her 21.8 percent. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lags behind in South Carolina at an average of 11 percent, according to RCP.

Trump won the Iowa Republican caucus on Monday, with 51 percent of the vote, well ahead of DeSantis in second place on 21 percent, and Haley in third with 19 percent. However, a recent poll from American Research Group of 600 likely New Hampshire primary voters that was conducted between December 27 and January 3 put Haley just four points behind Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its Republican primary on January 23.

Huffmon told Newsweek that Haley and Scott have more than just the 2024 election to consider. Haley could position herself for a 2028 presidential run or any number of public offices in the future. Scott previously stated he won't seek another term in the Senate. He's been mentioned among potential Trump vice presidential or cabinet picks.

"He's latching onto Trump and repudiating the person that put him in Congress in the first place," he added. "It feels like a move on his part to get on the [Trump] ticket and in the potential administration."

When asked by Cavuto on Saturday about Scott being among the rumored vice presidential picks for Trump, Haley quickly quipped, "He's going to be disappointed when Trump doesn't win."

Huffmon said Haley's New Hampshire tally could decide her eventual fate for this campaign.

"She needs to have an incredible showing in New Hampshire and keep within single digits," he said. "She is popular here (in South Carolina) and has incredible favorability ratings. There are a lot of people here that love Nikki Haley that just want Donald Trump to be president again. She has a lot of complex calculations that include her political future beyond 2024."

Cavuto also asked Haley, who was also Trump's former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, about the former president's repeated, and often misspelled, use of her birth name, "Nimarata," on social media and in speeches.

"This is what he does when he feels insecure or threatened," she said. "[When I was at the U.N.] he said I was the best U.S. ambassador and told everybody, 'Don't mess with me, she's a killer. She's going to make sure she keeps America strong,' and he praised me."

Update: 1/20/24, 4:30 p.m. ET: This story has been updated for clarity regarding Tim Scott's appointment to the Senate.

Update: 1/20/24, 4:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comments from Huffmon.