Trump didn’t invite Nikki Haley to Republican Convention

Former Indian American presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not invited to next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, yet she has released all of her delegates and encouraged them to support Donald Trump as the Republican nominee.

“The nominating convention is a time for Republican unity,” Haley, the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet as US ambassador to the UN under Trump, stated Tuesday.

“Joe Biden is not competent to serve a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America. We need a president who will hold our enemies to account, secure our border, cut our debt, and get our economy back on track. I encourage my delegates to support Donald Trump next week in Milwaukee.”

As for not being invited to attend the convention, her spokesperson Chaney Denton told Politico Haley “was not invited, and she’s fine with that. Trump deserves the convention he wants. She’s made it clear she’s voting for him and wishes him the best.”

Haley, the last viable alternative to Trump, secured 97 delegates from 12 states during the 2024 Republican primaries.

After Haley dropped out of the race in March, she called on Trump “to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him.” But Trump did not make any public effort to reach out to Haley or her voters.

READ: Nikki Haley racking up votes in primaries despite dropping out (May 16, 2024)

Voters, however, continued to support her in state primaries after she ended her 2024 bid. In the weeks after she dropped out, 22% of voters in Indiana’s open Republican primary picked Haley. In April, she received 20 to 25% support in suburban counties around Philadelphia. Similar patterns played out elsewhere, Politico noted.

Politico said Trump’s campaign declined to comment but pointed to the former president’s comments about Haley after a rally in New York.

“I think she’s going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts,” Trump told News 12 New York. “I appreciated what she said. You know, we had a nasty campaign, it was pretty nasty. But she’s a very capable person, and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form, absolutely.”

During a speech at the Hudson Institute, Haley, who is currently serving as the conservative think tank’s Walter P. Stern chair, said she would support a president who backed America’s allies, secured the border, supported “capitalism and freedom” and would lower the national debt. And while Trump “has not been perfect,” Haley said, she would vote for him in the general election.

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I’ve made that clear many, many times,” Haley said. “But Biden has been a catastrophe.”

“So I will be voting for Trump. Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech,” Haley said.

In June, Haley told the Wall Street Journal that she reached out to Trump after she announced she would be voting for him and had what she described as a “good conversation,” but said there was no discussion of any role on the campaign or at the upcoming convention.

During the campaign, Haley called her rival “unhinged” and “diminished,” while Trump mocked her with the nickname “birdbrain.”

Trump has teased announcing his running mate at the RNC with the top three candidates said to be Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).

However, while Trump has previously said that Haley “is not under consideration for the VP slot” some believe she would be the best candidate to broaden his appeal with voters, according to Daily Beast.

Last month, data scientist Scott Tranter told News Nation that she would be a smart choice for Trump to pick as his running mate.

“Rationally speaking, Nikki Haley checks a lot of boxes and ensures that he is competitive or continues to be competitive in demographics that he has to wins, specifically suburban females,” he said. “She is also a great fundraiser and is great on the trail.”

Democrat strategist Kurt Bardella agreed, saying that she would be an epic surprise but one that could secure Trump the White House.