Former President Donald Trump spoke out for the first time in public about Nikki Haley, who finally broke her quiet and said she would vote for him.
When asked about what she said, Trump told News 12 on Long Island after his gathering on Thursday, “I liked what she said.”
Trump then said Haley was a “capable person” and said she might be a good fit for his “team.”
Another question was, “Is there room for her on your team or, better yet, on your ticket?”
“Well, I think she’s gonna be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts,” Trump said.
“You know, our approach was pretty mean. I’m sure she’ll be on our team in some way, though, because she’s very clever. Of course.”
His words are different from what he usually said about Haley during the campaign, when he called her “birdbrain” and slammed how smart she was. He did not stop attacking Haley during the GOP primaries for months, even as other candidates dropped out. She kept on staying in the race even though others did not.
Wednesday was Haley’s first public appearance since she dropped out of the presidential race. She talked about how she still thinks Trump is a better choice than Biden, even though she is disappointed with him.
“Trump hasn’t always been right on these issues.” That’s been made very clear many times. Biden, on the other hand, has been terrible. “So I’m going to vote for Trump,” Haley said in Washington at the Hudson Institute.
Early this month, Trump ruled out Haley as his running mate. He wrote on social media, “Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!” in response to a news story saying that the Trump campaign is considering Haley as his running mate.
Trump was also asked about picking a vice president during his talk with News 12 on Thursday night. He wouldn’t say who his top three picks are, but he did say that Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. JD Vance, and Rep. Elise Stefanik are all names he is thinking about.
Trump then said that he would decide for sure “sometime during the convention.”