Trump Says Haley Likely Won’t Be Picked For VP
Former president and current GOP primary frontrunner Donald Trump has declared that it is very unlikely that he would pick his primary rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), as his vice president — arguing that she isn’t “presidential timber.”
Presidential candidates typically choose their vice president for one main reason: they bring more voters to the ticket. Thus, Trump is expected to pick a running mate that has support from voters outside of the “MAGA” wing of the GOP. While Haley is obviously not a “MAGA” or “America First” candidate — as she pushes establishment talking points, is openly pro-war and consistently attacks Trump and his supporters — choosing her as a running mate is unlikely to gain Trump many additional votes, as Haley’s base is vehemently anti-Trump and unlikely to support him even with her as VP.
Many of Trump’s most ardent supporters have also warned him not to pick Haley as his running mate, with some even declaring that they would no longer support Trump if he were to do so — including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also advocated against Haley as VP, declaring in an interview last month that she is not an acceptable choice because she “wants never-ending wars. She’s a puppet of the establishment in Washington, D.C. She’s the new favorite candidate of the billionaire class because they want control — no different than academia and Harvard and using their billions to exercise influence.”
Fortunately for these anti-Haley advocates, Trump announced during a New Hampshire rally just days before the state’s GOP primary that he likely would not choose her as his vice president.
“She is okay, but she is not presidential timber,” he said during the rally, according to The Hill. “And when I say that, that probably means she is not going to be chosen as the vice president.”
“When you say certain things, it sort of takes them out of play, right?” Trump added. “I can’t say, ‘She’s not of the timber to be the vice president’ and then say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to announce that I’ve picked…’”
These comments came just a few days before another GOP presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), dropped out of the Republican Primary and endorsed Trump — leaving the former president and Haley as the only two major contenders in the race, though Trump is leading Haley by a significant margin.
