Former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed during a special press conference on Tuesday that she would remain in the race to secure the 2024 GOP presidential nomination despite trailing former President Donald Trump by significant amounts and losing the first four primaries to him.
“We’ve all heard the calls for me to drop out. We all know where they’re coming from: the political elite, the party bosses, the cheerleaders in the commentator world. The argument is familiar. They say I haven’t won a state, that my path to victory is slim. They point to the primary polls and say I’m only delaying the inevitable. Why keep fighting when the battle was apparently over after Iowa?” Haley said.
“Look, I get it. In politics, the herd mentality is enormously strong. A lot of Republican politicians have surrendered to it. The pressure on them was way too much. They didn’t want to be left out of the club,” she continued.
“Of course, many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump, privately dread him,” she claimed. “They know what a disaster he’s been and will continue to be for our party. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud. Well, I’m not afraid to say the hard truth out loud.
“I feel no need to kiss the ring. I have no fear of Trump’s retribution. I’m not looking for anything from him,” she added.
Haley gave what she dubbed a “state of the presidential race” on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that she plans to continue with her campaign.
“I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I will still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere. I’m campaigning every day until the last person votes,” she noted further.
🚨 Nikki Haley rejects calls to drop out, vows to continue getting smashed pic.twitter.com/gztftSGt1q
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) February 20, 2024
Haley, who is on pace to dramatically lose the primary in her home state of South Carolina later this week, would not say during a television appearance on Sunday whether she would support her opponent Trump if he wins the party’s nomination.
During an appearance on ABC with Jonathan Karl, the host tried on a few occasions to pin the former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador down over whether she’d support Trump if he became the nominee.
“I’m running against him because I don’t think he should be president,” she said, according to Politico.
“The last thing on my mind is who I’m going to support. The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to win this,” the outlet added.
After Karl tried again to pin her down on a response, Haley replied, “I’m going to run, and I’m going to win, and y’all can talk about support later. Right now, you can ask him if he’s going to support me when I’m the nominee.”
