Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she plans to vote for her former rival and leader, Donald Trump, in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Haley, who once served as President Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, was the last of his major rivals to drop out of the primary race in early March.
Although she did not support him at the time, she urged him to vote for the millions who supported her.
On Wednesday, in her first public speech since leaving the race, she said President Trump “was not perfect” but that President Joe Biden “has been a disaster.”
Anti-Trump Republican voters largely united in support of Haley's presidential bid earlier this year.
In fact, she recorded over 20% of the vote in the Maryland primary held last week, just over two months after leaving the race.
The Biden campaign has offered a message of inclusivity to win over Haley's Republicans, arguing that President Trump has “repeatedly made clear that he does not want” voters supporting him.
Before a gathering Wednesday at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., Haley continued her criticism of both parties.
But she directed most of her vitriol to Democratic incumbents.
She said Prime Minister Biden “threw Israel to the wolves,” did nothing to stop the invasion of Ukraine and “gave Iran nothing but cash and time.”
The former South Carolina governor said he would support President Trump's White House bid, but stopped short of asking his supporters to do the same.
“I stand by what I said in my honesty speech,” she said.
“Trump would be wise to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume they'll just stick with him. I sincerely hope he does.”
This is a developing story. There will be more updates in the future.
