So far, only the ousted US President Trump has announced his candidacy for the next election. He will soon have competition: his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley wants to throw her hat in the ring. It would also be eligible for moderate conservatives.
According to media reports, the former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, intends to announce her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election shortly. At an event in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 15, the Republican will officially announce her candidacy, reports Charleston’s “The Post and Courier” and several national media outlets such as CNN, citing people familiar with the plans. Haley would be the first prominent candidate to run against former US President Donald Trump.
The 51-year-old would have to prevail against Trump, who has already announced his candidacy, in party primaries. The Republican was Ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to the end of 2018 during Trump’s tenure – and from 2011 to 2017 as the first woman governor of South Carolina. “It’s time for a new generation. It’s time for a new leadership,” Haley recently wrote in a post on Twitter.
After his party’s poor performance in the congressional elections, 76-year-old Trump is said to have been weakened. During his presidency, he brought the country chaotic years. To this day, Trump has not acknowledged his election defeat by US President Joe Biden. Various investigations are currently plaguing him. His closest intra-party rival is Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida. DeSantis was confirmed in office in November with a very strong result. The 44-year-old represents similarly hard conservative positions as Trump, but is considered less impulsive.
The diplomat Haley takes a different course: she tries to distance herself far enough from Trump so as not to get caught up in his downward spiral – but without falling out of favor with him. Trump himself indicated on Saturday that Haley called him to announce her candidacy. According to CNN, the ex-president said: “You should do it.” According to news website Axios, Trump’s relaxed attitude toward Haley suggests he’s saving his firepower for DeSantis. Haley certifies that Axios has a good standing because it could appeal to both the Trump camp and moderate conservative circles.
