Reuters reported this, Former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley announced on Wednesday that she will vote for Donald Trump in the November election, despite having harshly criticized her former rival throughout her campaign.
Speculation has been rampant regarding who will garner the votes of Haley’s supporters in the November 5 general election rematch between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.
Although Haley withdrew from the Republican presidential nomination race in March, her name remains on the ballot, and she continues to secure over 10% of the vote in state-run primary contests, despite no longer actively campaigning. According to CBC News, Many of these votes come from Republicans and independents disenchanted with Trump, and some Democrats have begun to seek their support.
Haley, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump for two years, never posed a serious threat to the former president for the nomination. She only won one state and the District of Columbia before ending her campaign. However, her sharp critiques of Trump’s character and competence in the final months of her campaign made her a leading figure for the dwindling anti-Trump faction within the Republican Party.
“Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I’ve made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So I will be voting for Trump,” Haley said during a question-and-answer session on Wednesday at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.
Her comments followed a foreign policy speech and marked her first public appearance since withdrawing from the race. Despite ending her campaign, Haley has not formally endorsed Trump. She reiterated her call for Trump to actively seek the support of her voters.
“Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him,” Haley stated. told by NBC News
Trump’s campaign has generally dismissed these calls, arguing that Haley’s supporters often vote for Democrats, even though many are registered Republicans.
