Donald Trump Rules Out Nikki Haley as 2024 Running Mate, Calling Her Someone Who 'Puts America Last'
Former President Donald Trump has dismissed the possibility of Nikki Haley being his running mate in the 2024 election, stating that she is "not of the timber" to be vice president.
This announcement came just hours after Haley herself declared that she was not interested in being anyone's second in command.
Trump made the remarks during a campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire, where he also claimed that he only appointed Haley as his ambassador to the United Nations as a favor to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
Haley had resigned as governor to join the Trump administration, and McMaster succeeded her in that position.
In his speech, Trump criticized Haley, saying, "Nikki is somebody that puts America last. She is not presidential timber."
"Now when I say that, that probably means that she’s not gonna be chosen as the vice president," Trump continued. "You can go and you can say certain things, you know, 'I don’t like ’em' and ba ba ba, but when you say certain things, it sort of takes them out of play, right?"
"I can’t say, “She’s not of the timber to be a vice…” and then say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to announce that I’ve picked…” Do you understand? But that’s the way it is."
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Prior to his recent remarks, Trump had been noncommittal on the possibility of Haley becoming his running mate in 2024. However, several close allies and supporters, including Donald Trump Jr., Roger Stone, and Tucker Carlson, had voiced their opposition to the idea. Carlson even went so far as to say that Haley's inclusion on the ticket would be reason enough to oppose it.
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had previously warned that there would be a "big fight" to determine the future of the Trump campaign and whether Haley would be selected as the running mate.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Trump has been eyeing GOP House Representative from New York, Elise Stefanik, as a possible running mate.
According to NBC News, the Trump-Stefanik ticket rumors first gained momentum in December at a VIP dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump and his allies celebrated Stefanik during the dinner after she made headlines after confronting three university presidents during a congressional hearing about the rising threat of antisemitism on college campuses across the country.
“She’s a killer,” Trump reportedly said of the 39-year-old House GOP Conference chairwoman.