Former President Donald Trump recently shut down speculation that he would choose former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) as his running mate in 2024, saying she isn’t “presidential timber.”
During a rally in New Hampshire, the former president said Haley was “okay” but not fit for higher office.
“She is okay, but she is not presidential timber,” Trump said. “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…”
Trump continued by saying that he did not believe Haley could handle tough negotiations with leaders of rival countries.
“I know her very well. She’s not tough enough, She’s not smart enough. And she wasn’t respected enough. She cannot do this job,” Trump said. “She’s not going to be able to deal with President Xi. She’s not going to be able to deal with Putin.”
With the New Hampshire primary on the horizon, the former president leads his fellow competitors, including Haley, in polls. The former South Carolina governor has said she would not serve as vice president, saying such a decision “is off the table.”
A newly released poll by Suffolk University/NC10 Boston/Boston Globe showed the former president with 50% support in the Granite State, followed by Haley at 34% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at 5%.
Several Trump allies, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Donald Trump Jr., have spoken out against the possibility of the former president choosing Haley as his vice president.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Green said Trump supporters would “revolt” if the former president chose Haley as his running mate.
MAGA would revolt if Nikki Haley were to even be given an internship in Trump’s next administration.
She represents the neocon establishment America last wing of the Republican Party that we are absolutely done with.
Also, she lied and said she would not run against Trump.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) December 12, 2023
During an interview in December 2023, Trump Jr. accused Haley of wanting “never-ending wars” and being a “puppet of the establishment.”
“Nikki Haley wants never-ending wars,” Trump Jr. said at the time. “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.”
