The primaries are just weeks away. But Trump may shake up the entire race.
Because his potential VP pick has Republicans completely confused.
During an interview this week, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was repeatedly asked if she would “rule out” being a vice presidential pick, a question presented as she has come under fire from fellow Republican presidential contenders over the matter in recent days.
In response, she reiterated her claim that she does not “play for second,” although she did not rule it out completely, as two other Republican contenders had.
Haley, who is now polling third, made the statements about potentially becoming former President Donald Trump’s running mate if he wins the primary during an interview with CBN News Chief Political Analyst David Brody this week.
“I know what you’re gonna say, ‘I don’t play for a second,’” Brody stated. “I got it. I’ve seen the line. I get it. But Ron DeSantis has ruled it out, says, ‘No way, I’m not gonna do it.’ Are you going to rule it out?”
“I don’t play for second,” Haley said.
“It’s offensive when anybody says that, ‘Oh, you know, she wants to be vice president.’ You don’t do something like this to be vice president. You don’t sacrifice emotionally, mentally, physically, with your family, everything to come in for second. That’s not me. I’ve never done second a day in my life. I’m not going to start now.”
“I’m doing this because we have a country to save,” she went on to say.
“Everybody knows that our country is in disarray, and the world is on fire. And I don’t trust anybody else to fix it. And I’m determined to get that done. And we’re gonna get it done. And the people want us to get that done. You can feel it. And that’s why you’re seeing us move in the polls.”
“But you’re not going to rule it out?” the interviewer asked again.
“I mean it’s not even a conversation and it doesn’t matter what candidate wants me to answer it,” she said. “I don’t play for second. I don’t know what more I can say than to get them to understand that.”
JUST IN: I Asked Nikki Haley TWICE if she would rule out a VP slot if asked (unlikely FYI). Here's what she said. @NikkiHaley @CBNNews @700club pic.twitter.com/4KqaC4qh8j
— David Brody (@DBrodyReports) December 19, 2023
When questioned about Haley as Trump’s VP option on Newsmax earlier this month, the former president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said that Trump was open to the notion.
When asked about it by radio presenter Howie Carr on Friday, Trump said that while it was “unlikely,” he found the notion “interesting” but that he wasn’t “even thinking about that.” He went on to say, “I’ve always gotten along with Nikki.”
According to CNN, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a book that Haley “plotted” with individuals close to then-President Trump “to try to become Trump’s vice president” and replace then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Haley flatly refuted the accusation. Haley stated in April 2021 that she would not run against Trump in 2024, but then changed her mind and called Trump first to express her desire to run. “I talked to her for a little while,” Trump stated. “I said look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run.”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie slammed Haley on Sunday for stating she feels Trump is qualified for government and suggesting she might run for vice president.
“When she hasn’t ruled out being his vice president, I don’t think you could take her as a serious contender against him,” Christie said. “Ron DeSantis and I have both ruled out accepting the vice presidency from Donald Trump. Nikki Haley has not.”
Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that he would never accept a vice presidential nomination and implied that Haley was working to promote Trump.
“People that are for Trump, I’m their next choice. If everyone else got out, but me and Trump, all these other candidates, I would get that support because they’d see that I’m the only one that can beat him. There’s a reason why they spend money against me, Haley and Trump spend money against me,” he said, citing data showing that significantly more money has been spent attacking him than all the other candidates.
“He has not spent any money against her. And she has not spent any money against him. She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this, will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no?”
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
