Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was called out for reversing course by announcing she plans on voting for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election after previously calling him a "disaster" in a speech in February.
At the time, Haley said those poltiicians who "publicly embraced Trump" yet "privately dread him" and added:
"They are just too afraid to say it out loud. I'm not afraid to say the hard truth out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Haley: Many of the same politicians publicly embrace Trump, privately dread him. They know what a disaster he's been and will continue to be. They are just too afraid to say it out loud. I'm not afraid to say the hard truth out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring. pic.twitter.com/JnBbqKyJY7
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2024
It's clear she didn't mean that based on her behavior since.
Haley suspended her campaign in March. Before she dropped out, she spent significant time questioning Trump's mental faculties. She also previously referred to him as "too unhinged" to sit in the Oval Office again. However, Haley said during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., she appeared to have changed her mind entirely.
She said:
“I will be voting for Trump. Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Haley: Many of the same politicians publicly embrace Trump, privately dread him. They know what a disaster he's been and will continue to be. They are just too afraid to say it out loud. I'm not afraid to say the hard truth out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring. pic.twitter.com/JnBbqKyJY7
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2024
Haley was swiftly criticized for her hypocrisy by prominent conservatives who suggested her vote for Trump was a strictly political move.
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to Haley as a "Desperate Neocon" and added:
“She is doing everything she can to weasel her way into Trump’s next administration even now by threatening that her voters won’t vote for Trump.”
"NOT voting for Trump IS voting for Biden. If Nikki Haley is demanding her voters help Biden continue to destroy our country by refusing to vote for Trump then Nikki Haley and her voters will be responsible and we will never forget it. Never Neocon Nikki."
You can see her post below.
Former Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger himself said that Haley was "putting her career and her interests over the country."
Former GOP Rep. @AdamKinzinger blasts Nikki Haley:
“She’s putting her career and her interests over the country.” pic.twitter.com/YLNlHBWk4s
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 23, 2024
And her other critics were also quick to call her out.
But you also said you would pardon him. Which one is it Nikki?
— I-95 Bully (Broadway Bully) (@i95Bully) February 20, 2024
There are small and cowardly people. And then there's @NikkiHaley. A sad human being. https://t.co/HQgRJf72kG
— Ian Bassin 🇺🇦 (@ianbassin) May 22, 2024
What happened to this @NikkiHaley ? Where did she go? https://t.co/LZ0kCy2T0m
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) May 23, 2024
And today she kissed that ring. https://t.co/xyrBZOH8Nj
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 22, 2024
Another reputation brought to Kristi Noem’s gravel pit. https://t.co/vhVFh7Xc0X
— Mike🌻 (@Antidote4BS) May 22, 2024
Another reputation brought to Kristi Noem’s gravel pit. https://t.co/vhVFh7Xc0X
— Mike🌻 (@Antidote4BS) May 22, 2024
Narrator: She would later kiss the ring when the moment arose.
— Obnoxious and Anonymous (@ObnoxandAnony) February 20, 2024
Despite dropping her presidential bid in March, Haley has still garnered hundreds of thousands of votes across several Republican primaries, including in key swing states.
In Pennsylvania's Republican primary in April, over 157,000 people voted for Haley, accounting for approximately 16% of the total vote share. In Wisconsin, also in April, Haley secured almost 13% of the GOP primary vote, amounting to nearly 77,000 votes. The trend has continued even into May, when she recently won 21% of the Indiana GOP primary vote,
