Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was a scathing critic of former President Donald Trump during her presidential campaign. She called Trump “totally insane” and accused him of wanting “revenge.” She warned that Trump's cognitive abilities were “deteriorating” and that “confusion is all around.” Haley criticized one of Trump's most blatant authoritarian rhetorical tactics, saying the United States would not “rig the election.” She accused Trump of intimidating his opponents and using campaign funds to pay for his lawyers.
Recommendation
But in her first public appearance since dropping out of the presidential race, Haley said she would be voting for Trump.
If anyone is still clinging to the illusion that Haley is a true moderate, her promise to vote for Trump in November should dispel that notion.
Haley's explanation for why she's voting for Trump shows just how fragile her commitment to at least some of her stated ideals is. Asked Wednesday at the Hudson Institute, a right-wing Washington think tank, who she thought would do a better job in the White House, Haley replied: “I think that's the kind of person I'd say is going to be a better candidate.”
As a voter, my priorities are a president who will support our allies and hold our enemies accountable, a president who will secure our borders and tolerate no excuses, a president who supports capitalism and freedom, and a president who understands that we need to reduce our debt, not increase it. Trump was not perfect on these policies. I have made that clear many times. But Biden was a disaster. That's why I'm voting for Trump.
The idea that Trump is a better alternative than Biden based on these criteria has some flaws. On the issue of allies and adversaries, Haley recently pointed out the danger of Trump actively encouraging Russia to attack NATO allies. Having served as ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, Haley knows all too well that Trump has caused rifts with allies on issues including unilateral withdrawal from NATO as well as multilateral agreements such as the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Iran nuclear deal. Haley has also been dovish on Russia and North Korea, while Haley is hawkish on these as geopolitical adversaries. Biden, on the other hand, has a much more conventional view on the approach to America's long-standing allies and adversaries. With regard to some of the other concerns expressed by Haley, it is not clear how disastrous Biden is compared to Trump. If Haley is a debt hawk, why would she support Trump given his extraordinary track record on debt accumulation? Haley seems committed to free market capitalism, but one must probably wonder why trade war-loving Trump is clearly better than Biden.
But Haley’s political trajectory makes it clear that she wants to be a major player in Republican politics, and her future in the party would be in jeopardy if she did not pledge to support the most powerful and popular Republican before the election. Promising not to vote for Trump could have triggered the millions of Republicans who voted for her to not vote on Election Day or to move to another party. And Haley is far from a Never-Trumper. She worked in the Trump administration and ran a campaign heavily influenced by MAGA ideology. Despite her considerable criticism of Trump, Haley refused to confront him head-on, as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie did (albeit ineffectively). Her intense rivalry with Trump in the presidential primaries makes it doubtful that he would invite her back into his cabinet if he wins, but Haley is likely pondering how to position herself for the 2028 presidential election.
Haley's level-headed personality, her sometimes sharp criticism of Trump, and her strategically vague calls for “consensus” on abortion policy have led some Republicans and liberals to see her as a moderate alternative to Trump, or even as part of the “resistance” to him. But Haley has repeatedly made it clear that she wants to fit into the new Republican Party. The clincher for her is not a presidential candidate openly calling for dictatorship — that's the problem with any candidate running as a Democrat.
