Nikki Haley Backs Trump at RNC, Emphasizes Unity Despite Primary Jabs

As her former opponent watched from the sidelines, Nikki Haley took the stage on Tuesday and expressed unwavering support for a man she has previously criticized as mentally diminished and unqualified for public office. This unexpected endorsement was directed at the modern Republican Party, particularly those in Milwaukee, signaling her intent to align with the MAGA-driven GOP.

The former South Carolina governor’s brief appearance was surprising, as initial expectations suggested she might not attend the event. However, Haley stated that she spoke at the request of Donald Trump, who called for unity after being wounded by a bullet on Saturday.

“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” Haley announced to a cheering crowd, noticeably devoid of previous anti-Haley sentiments from the primary race.

Despite aligning herself closely with Trump, Haley aimed her remarks at former supporters and political independents who might feel disconnected from the MAGA doctrine. Highlighting Joe Biden’s perceived shortcomings, she argued, “a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris,” whom she asserted would lead the country to ruin in just one day of her presidency.

“I know there are people out there who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100 percent. I happen to know some of them,” Haley said. “I want to talk to them tonight. My message is simple: You don’t have to agree with Donald Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him.”

This stance marked a significant shift from Haley’s earlier comments this year when she was a potential contender in the Republican primary after Iowa. At that time, she issued some of her harshest critiques against Trump, indicating that her disagreements with him extended beyond policy issues.

In the spring, Haley argued that Trump was no better suited for the presidency than Biden, citing similar concerns about mental acuity, temperament, and respect for the office. She even went as far as questioning Trump’s ability to keep U.S. troops safe, a particularly pointed critique given the Republican context.

“He showed that with that kind of disrespect for the military, he’s not qualified to be the president of the United States, because I don’t trust him to protect them,” she said in February.

She further elaborated in that interview, “The problem now is he is not the same person he was in 2016. He is unhinged; he is more diminished than he was, just like Joe Biden’s more diminished than what he was.”

Haley’s past anger towards Trump included his attacks on her husband’s military service. “This wasn’t a slip of the tongue for Trump. When he goes off his teleprompter, that’s him speaking from the heart, and it’s a pattern,” she remarked.

However, there was no trace of those critiques on Tuesday. Haley was once again embraced, or at least tolerated, in the Trump-aligned fold for a few minutes on stage.

Her most impactful line of the night, which garnered a standing ovation, was a direct reversal of her previous criticisms of Trump’s military respect. Referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she echoed claims from other right-wing figures that Biden failed to deter Russia as Trump supposedly did.

This stance effectively condemned the Bush-era neoconservative foreign policy doctrine, which Haley was once seen as supporting. “Strong presidents don’t start wars,” Haley proclaimed. “They prevent wars.”

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