Making sense of Nikki Haley's kind of, sort of, Trump endorsement

WASHINGTON - Well, Nikki Haley finally came out for Donald Trump ... sort of.

The former South Carolina governor said Wednesday she would vote for Trump over President Joe Biden, but chose to make the announcement in a non-campaign venue: A Q-and-A session after a foreign policy speech devoted to policy items like the Middle East, China, and Russia.

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies but Biden has been a catastrophe," Haley said during the event at the Hudson Institute, where she is now employed. "So I will be voting for Trump.”

Haley also added, "I stand by what I said in my suspension speech" on March 6. That's when she said "it is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party who did not support him, and I hope he does."

Some initial takeaways:

Trump's running mate? Highly doubtful

Haley's semi-endorsement underscored the distinct probability that she will not be Trump's choice for vice president.

After a May 11 report that Haley might be on Trump's list, the former president promptly announced on Truth Social: "Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!" 

Nothing Haley said Wednesday would seem to change that dynamic.

A rebuke of Biden's desire for Haley voters

Biden and his aides have made many overtures to Haley voters, especially after she continued to rack up votes against Trump in a series of Republican primaries.

"Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin,” Biden said shortly after the former United Nations ambassador withdrew from the Republican race.

In her speech Wednesday, Haley excoriated Biden over foreign policy and signaled to voters they should also hold him in disdain.

But after Haley's speech, Democrats said they plan to continue to reach out to Haley voters, explicitly noting her comment that Trump must do more to harness their support. 

"Nothing has changed for the millions of Republican voters who continue to cast their ballots against Donald Trump in the primaries and care deeply about the future of our democracy," said Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris campaign communication's director, arguing that Biden is the only candidate in the race who holds those values.

Don't expect to see Haley stump for Trump

Haley's tepid-seeming endorsement suggests she won't be on the campaign trail for Trump.

She could stay as low key as another former Trump opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis gave another tepid endorsement of Trump as he withdrew from the presidential race on Jan. 21, two days before the New Hampshire primary.

Since then, Trump and DeSantis have met once, a private session in which the former president sought fundraising help.

Several other Republicans who have been critical of Trump in 2024 have since said they plan to cast votes this November for their party's nominee, including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former Attorney General Bill Barr.

Disappointed Republicans

Several anti-Trump Republicans expressed disappointment with Haley, saying party members need to speak out against the divisive politician who has consumed their party.

"Nikki Haley outlined every reason why Trump was unfit to be president again," said Sarah Longwell, founder of the organization Republican Voters Against Trump.

Citing Trump's "election denialism, his role in the January 6 insurrection, and his abandonment of our allies around the world." Longwell said Haley's decision "shows a level of moral cowardice that has been the consistent theme of the Trump era."

Others said it wasn't too much of a surprise - not if Haley has designs on the next presidential election, and she probably does.

Haley 2028?

Regardless of how the 2024 election turns out, Trump voters figure to be a major factor when Republicans look for a nominee in 2028; alienating them now would be a questionable strategy looking ahead.

Haley, only 52 years old, figures to be a prospective presidential candidate down the line.

South Carolina: A GOP force

Haley's unique perch in Republican politics is only one reason that her home state of South Carolina will continue to be an important barometer.

One of the state's U.S. senators, Tim Scott, is on Trump's short list for vice president; that would also made Scott a prime contender in 2028.

South Carolina will also likely keep its place as the first southern primary in the Republican process; no Republican has ever been elected president without winning South Carolina first.