Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, has declared her intention to run for president in the 2024 election, becoming the second Republican to do so after former President Donald Trump did so last year.
In a video that was uploaded online on Tuesday, Haley made the declaration and identified herself as the “proud daughter” of Indian immigrants who was raised in the US south.
She stated in the announcement that “Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the previous eight presidential elections, and that has to change.” Presidents in the US are chosen via the electoral college system, not by public vote.
Haley briefly mentioned in the film her time serving as Trump’s senior envoy to the UN, where she was instrumental in implementing his confrontational “America First” strategy for world politics.
She also spoke about her term from 2011 to 2017 as governor of South Carolina, a state with a conservative majority.
She said in the video, “The Washington elite has let us down time and time again.” In order to strengthen our nation, our pride, and our purpose, a new generation of leadership needs to rediscover economic prudence and safeguard our border.
Haley’s announcement marked an about-face for her after she declared in 2021 that she would not run for president if Trump declared a bid in 2024.
She did, however, leave the possibility open at the time, telling The Associated Press news agency, “That’s something that we’ll have a dialogue about at some point, if that decision is one that has to be taken.”
In the wake of the November midterm elections, in which the candidates Trump supported were widely perceived to have underperformed, Trump declared his 2024 White House run.
Haley has treaded carefully when it comes to her former boss, who despite recent failures is still regarded as a significant influence in Republican politics, like many other former Trump officials.
She has often attempted to position herself as a more moderate alternative to Trump and has been outspoken in her criticism of how the former president handled the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol by supporters trying to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
Haley concentrated particularly on Trump’s criticism of Mike Pence, his vice president, who had recognized Biden’s victory. She expressed to Politico her “disgust” at the time over the former president’s actions and said he would be “out of the picture” in upcoming Republican politics.
When Haley left from her job as ambassador in 2018, Trump gushed about her, calling her a “really wonderful” person and said she could choose from any position in the cabinet if she came back.
Haley entered the race a few days after a Yahoo News/YouGov poll suggested that her support for Trump, who is generally anticipated to face a fierce primary fight from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, would actually aid the Republican nominee.
According to the poll, if all three candidates ran for the Republican ticket, Haley and DeSantis would probably split the anti-Trump vote. The former president would then have the upper hand as a result.
