Nikki Haley Is Persona Non Grata At Republican National Convention: Report
It looks like Donald Trump isn’t letting bygones be bygones with his former United Nations ambassador and onetime Republican presidential primary rival, Nikki Haley.
On Tuesday, Politico reported that the former governor of South Carolina will not be attending the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton told Politico that the failed Republican presidential contender “was not invited, and she’s fine with that.”
“Trump deserves the convention he wants,” Denton added. “She’s made it clear she’s voting for him and wishes him the best.”
Despite the snub, Haley was still willing to hand over her 97 convention delegates over to Trump. In a statement to media outlets on Tuesday, she called next week’s nominating convention “a time for Republican unity.”
“Joe Biden is not competent to serve a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America,” she added in her statement. “We need a president who will hold our enemies to account, secure our border, cut our debt, and get our economy back on track.”
Biden has strenuously rejected dropping out of the race, despite a disastrous performance against Trump in last month’s presidential debate.
During primary season, Haley tried to paint herself as the sensible alternative to the ever-divisive ex-president.
In a February interview on “Today,” she told NBC’s Craig Melvin that 2024′s version of Trump was “more unhinged than he ever was” during his term in office.
“We don’t want these two old men running,” she added of Trump and Biden. “We want someone who’s going to go and fight for us and work for us, with no drama, no vendettas.”
By March, Haley conceded that she had no viable path to the presidency. It took her until May to endorse her former boss, however.
Upon Haley’s endorsement, Trump seemed less hostile towards his former primary adversary.
“You know, we had a nasty campaign, it was pretty nasty,” he told News 12 New York in late May. “But she’s a very capable person, and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form, absolutely.”
HuffPost has attempted to reach Haley for confirmation.
