Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announced Tuesday morning she is running for president. Haley was appointed to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations in 2017 by President Donald Trump. She served for two years before stepping down in late 2018.
She is the first Republican official of national prominence to announce a primary challenge against Trump in 2024. Other candidates are expected to announce their candidacies in the coming weeks and months.
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Her appointment to the U.N. post garnered bipartisan support, with the Senate confirming her by a 96-4 margin. She previously served as South Carolina’s governor for six years.
While some Republicans have stuck by Trump following his election loss, and others have been more vocal about disavowing him, Haley has attempted to split the difference. Some Republicans placed the blame on Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection after his election defeat.
Although Trump frequently claimed that the election process was rigged against him — a claim not validated by the courts — Haley has said people around Trump are misleading him.
“He deserves the truth. Is he hearing the truth?” Haley said in an interview with Politico in 2021. “I don’t think certain people around him are telling him the truth.”
Instead of naming Trump in her campaign announcement, she went after President Joe Biden. Of course, if Haley wants to face Biden in a potential general election matchup, she’ll need to get past Trump and others in the primaries.
“It’s time for a new generation of leadership, to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose,” she said.
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