The Telegraph
Nikki Haley turns on Donald Trump and reveals that she was ‘disgusted’ by the former president
Nikki Haley, a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has turned against former US President Donald Trump in a blistering manner, saying she was “disgusted” by the former president. Ms. Haley, 49, Mr Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, said he had “abandoned us” and had “fallen so far.” The former South Carolina governor was seen as a potential Republican candidate in four years and started a political action committee last month. Her comments left a clear rift in the Republican Party as other potential candidates, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, would seek support from Mr Trump’s followers. Both senators would vote to acquit Trump at the end of his current impeachment process. Ms. Haley made her point clear in an interview with Politico, revealing that she had not spoken to Mr. Trump since before his supporters raided the Capitol on January 6. She did not believe Trump himself would run for the Republican nomination in 2024, claiming that he was no longer a “viable” candidate. Mrs. Haley said, “I don’t think he’s going to be in the picture. I don’t think he can. He’s fallen this far. We have to admit that he left us.” He went down a path he shouldn’t have done. and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can never let that happen again. Ms. Haley particularly condemned Mr. Trump’s treatment of Mike Pence, his vice president, whom he called a “coward” on January 6. She said, “When I tell you’re angry, it’s an understatement . I am so disappointed in that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence that he would do that to him. I am disgusted. Ms. Haley was a high-profile member of Mr. Trump’s cabinet and was considered a star of his administration for its defense of his America First policies on the world stage. She unexpectedly resigned at the end of 2018. but received a red-hot public outburst by Mr. Trump in the Oval Office, sparking speculation about a future presidential run. Last fall, author of a comprehensive Politico profile, Tim Alberta, spoke with Ms. Haley for six hours and spoke to 70 employees, including friends, former colleagues, staff and donors. He wrote, “Two things are clear. First, Nikki Haley will run for president in 2024. Second, she doesn’t know which Nikki Haley will be on the ballot.” Before January 6, Ms. Haley defended Mr. Trump arguing that he really believed he had won the election. But after the uprising in the Capitol, her position changed drastically. Ms. Haley said she still believed impeaching Trump was a “waste of time” and said the end of his political career was enough. She said, “I think his business is suffering. At this point. I think he’s lost every kind of political viability he would have.” I think he’s lost his social media, which meant everything to him. I mean, I think he’s lost the things that could really keep him moving.