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Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley declined to take back her pledge to support Donald Trump as the eventual 2024 GOP presidential candidate during a live interview with CNN News Central's Kate Bolduan on Tuesday morning.
The comment comes as Haley has ramped up criticism of the former president, calling him unfit for the office and predicting that he will lose the general election to President Joe Biden.
Context
Haley, who previously served as a United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration in 2017 and 2018, is the only major candidate besides the former president remaining in the race for the GOP nomination. She has failed to win any state race so far.
What We Know
During the first GOP presidential debate in 2023, Haley was among the candidates to pledge to support the eventual party nominee, even if it was Trump and even if was a convicted felon by the time of the general election. Haley, along with other candidates, was required to sign that pledge to take part in the debate.
In recent weeks, as she has become more vocally critical of Trump, she has also become cagier about whether she would support him as the nominee. During her Tuesday CNN appearance, she stressed that she was focused on the present state of her campaign.
"The difference is, when you are in the middle of a campaign, you don't think about anything beyond the campaign," Haley said. "You think about the state that you're in today, you think about what you're going to do tomorrow. So I realize that everyone wants to fast-forward, that's not what I do."
Haley reiterated that she has "serious concerns about Donald Trump" but also added that she has more concerns about Biden.
Newsweek reached out to Haley's campaign via email on Tuesday morning for comment. Any responses received will be added to this article in an update.
Views
As her campaign has struggled, Haley has faced mounting calls to drop out of the race.
"There is no path for Nikki to be the nominee," Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said after Haley's loss in New Hampshire. "There is a path to slow down Trump and help Biden. That is what she is doing by remaining in this race."
"New Hampshire was Nikki Haley's best chance to win a state & she's already down nearly DOUBLE DIGITS. NV, SC & FL also will not go well for her," Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) said in his own post. "This thing is OVER & we ALL know it."
On Saturday, Trump soundly defeated Haley in her home state of South Carolina, prompting more calls for her to drop out.
Collin Rugg, co-founder of conservative site Trending Politics, called Haley's decision to remain in the race "next level delusion."
"Nikki Haley appears to still be in denial after getting demolished by Trump in her home state of South Carolina. This is some next level delusion," he wrote on X.
"Nothing makes you look like a winner more than losing a primary in your home state by 20+ points after vastly outspending the opposition," said Florida Republican Matt Gaetz on X.
What's Next
Despite these struggles, Haley has committed to remain in the race until Super Tuesday, on March 5, when 15 states and a U.S. territory will hold their GOP primaries.
About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more