US Campaign - Haley at the convention: "Trump has my full support"
Former party rival Nikki Haley made it clear at the Republican convention in Milwaukee that she is fully behind Presidential candidate Donald Trump. "First, I want to make one thing clear: Donald Trump has my full support. Period", the 52-year-old stated. Haley was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos. When she directly endorsed Trump at the beginning of her speech, the audience applauded.
Haley addressed Trump skeptics in her speech. "We should acknowledge that there are some Americans who do not agree with Donald Trump one hundred percent. I know some of them, and I want to speak to them tonight", she said. She identified herself as one of them, the former Governor of the US state South Carolina. "I am here tonight because we have a country to save, and a united Republican Party is essential to do so."
Invited to speak in the name of unity
Trump listened to the speech at the convention hall personally - he arrived later than originally announced. Haley had publicly supported Trump before, but it initially seemed she would not speak at the convention. "It was a friendly invitation, and I gladly accepted it." Trump had asked her to speak in the name of unity.
The former US Ambassador to the United Nations had waged a weeks-long battle for the Republican presidential nomination against Trump, but was ultimately unsuccessful and conceded. Immediately after her withdrawal, Haley publicly refused to endorse Trump.
In May, she finally announced that she would vote for him in the November election. Haley and Trump had clashed fiercely during the primary campaign and had not seen eye to eye. For some Republicans, the more moderate Haley was seen as a less rhetorically aggressive and younger alternative to the 78-year-old Trump.
- Despite their previous disagreements during the US election campaign, Nikki Haley eventually endorsed Donald Trump for the US Elections 2024, stating her support at the Republican convention held in Milwaukee.
- Trump's request for Nikki Haley to speak at the convention as a symbol of party unity came after she had initially declared her intention not to support him after the US elections in November 2020.
- The election-season dynamic between Trump and Haley, who served as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, shifted significantly, with Haley eventually becoming a key figure in the Republikans' US Elections 2024 election campaign.
- In her speech at the convention, Nikki Haley emphasized the importance of a united Republican Party, aligning herself with Donald Trump while acknowledging the presence of skeptics within the Republican base, a sign of her continued influence within the Republikans leading up to the US Elections 2024.
