“You can never have too much business – or too many friends.” Or, if you’re a politician – even one like Donald Trump – you can never have too many votes.
Close followers of this year’s presidential race recognize that it will be close. For months,
somewhat defying common sense or on the ground reality, the contestants in the 2024 campaign have been locked in a tight contest to determine who will take control of the executive branch for the next four years. The back-and-forth nature of the race has been a constant source of irritation for Donald Trump’s supporters, most of whom believe it’s not possible that an ethically compromised woman like Kamala Harris could enjoy such a large and devoted following.
Trump, for all intents and purposes, has been the 2024 Republican nominee practically ever since he left office in January of 2021. After a couple month-long cooling down period that year, Trump began toying with the concept of running for president again. Having served one term – and come up short in his reelection bid – Trump was eligible to run if he so chose. The fact that Grover Cleveland had been the only prior president to serve two non-consecutive terms was no deterrent to the man who took on and beat the Washington swamp in 2016.
Trump’s tumultuous first four years didn’t discourage him, either. Traveling the country after he left office, Trump detected a great deal of support still existed for his political career. MAGA adherents were unsatisfied regarding the way Trump’s presidency had ended – and we’re not even talking about the unfortunate events of January 6, 2021.
When Trump formally entered the Republican primary race in late 2022, it wasn’t clear whether he would draw any committed competitors. Polls showed Trump with a substantial lead over possible competitors, but there also was a significant groundswell of backing for a not-Trump challenger. Most of the not-Trump movement was made up of Bush/McCain establishmentarians, the remnants of the neoconservative faction and those who simply were tired of Trump’s “act” and wanted someone else – anyone else.
Therefore, the 2024 Republican primary “race” never really materialized. Trump all-but refused to acknowledge any legitimate challengers, and most of those who did mount a campaign did so cautiously, sensing Trump would eventually win and not seeking to divide the party too much.
Except for Nikki Haley, of course. The former South Carolina governor and Trump U.N. ambassador lost each of the “early” voting states, most by large margins. Trump tolerated the interlopers, most of whom bowed out early and endorsed him as the inevitable Republican nominee. But still Haley hung on through Super Tuesday this year, even when it was clear there was no path to victory for her.
And when Haley finally did suspend her campaign, she didn’t endorse Trump. The bitterness between the two was evident for all to notice. Further, a good percentage of Haley’s backers, most of whom had followed her simply because they didn’t like Trump, showed little inclination towards joining the MAGA effort.
Trump acted as though he wouldn’t need them. Haley remained distant through the early part of summer. Nikki announced she wouldn’t support senile Joe Biden’s campaign, but held off using the “e” (endorsement) word until after Trump was nearly assassinated in early July. Then, in a sign that the party was coming together, Trump allowed Haley a prime time speaking slot at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
But had their relationship truly healed at that point? Would Haley hit the campaign trail and ask her former supporters to throw their weight to Donald Trump now? Would Trump welcome them? Can a pol ever have enough votes?
All good questions. The mystery remains. In an article titled, “Trump expresses frustration about calls to deploy Haley”, Brett Samuels reported at The Hill last Friday:
“Former President Trump expressed frustration Friday with repeated calls for him to deploy former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day, pointing to his strong GOP primary performance. ‘I’ll do what I have to do,’ Trump said when asked on ‘Fox & Friends’ if he would call Haley and ask her to campaign for him.
“’But let me just tell you: Nikki Haley and I fought, and I beat her by 50, 60, 90 points. I beat her in her own state. … I beat Nikki badly,’ Trump said. ‘I beat everyone else, too — badly. Frankly I set records. Both in speed and in the magnitude of the win. Everybody keeps saying that. They don’t say get Ron [DeSantis]. And Ron did very well.
“’And they keep talking about Nikki, Nikki. I like Nikki. Nikki, I don’t think, should have done what she did, and that’s fine that she did it,’ Trump said, referring to Haley’s decision to run against him. ‘But even in her own state — in South Carolina, where she was the governor — I beat her by a number. … And then they say, ‘Oh when is Nikki coming back in?’ Nikki is in. Nikki is helping us already.’”
By now, after years’ worth of intensive establishment media coverage, everyone knows Donald Trump is a prideful man who carries grudges and doesn’t let go of them easily. He also appears to have a long memory – especially for slights, perceived or intentional. But that being said, it’s unusual, or unwise, for Trump to take this kind of approach to asking Nikki Haley to talk with her former supporters about him.
And it’s a little curious Trump mentions Ron DeSantis in a semi-favorable light now because for roughly a half year or so, “DeSanctimonious” DeSantis was Trump enemy number one. The Florida governor deployed his full arsenal of political weaponry against Trump during the lead-up to the primaries, most likely figuring, after a while at least, that he had little chance to wrestle the MAGA coalition away from the much older man.
Politically speaking, Governor Ron ran his campaign with the future in mind, realizing Trump was virtually indestructible this cycle and leaving open the possibility he may want to run again in 2028. He’s a two-term governor in his mid-forties, leaving roughly 30-40 years ahead of him if governing and campaigning is really his cup of tea.
Nikki Haley didn’t bend, however. She doubled down. Further, she said some pretty nasty things about the primary winner at a time when he was facing the full wrath of the Democrat establishment prosecutors and judges – both local and federal – something Trump definitely didn’t appreciate. And then she didn’t endorse him right away when she did get out, continuing to receive thousands of votes in the remaining primaries, leaving the gaping wound festering and practically infected.
So it’s not surprising Trump isn’t jumping over hurdles to let bygones be bygones now. Haley’s contrition never appeared sincere, though it should be noted Trump said some pretty unflattering things about her, too. Calling Haley “birdbrain” was somewhat tame compared to the insults hurled by a few Trump surrogates, like Vivek Ramaswamy (who she called a “scum”) labeling her corrupt and implying her principles were for sale.
At some juncture Haley must have recognized her future prospects were somewhat dim. There’s no way she could compete in a primary race with the loyalty of the old party establishment and Democrats alone, though. If it wasn’t clear prior to 2024, it was confirmed this year that the Republican Party is the place for the working class and the anti-swamp elites.
But this doesn’t mean she couldn’t possibly assist Trump’s effort this late in the campaign. If for nothing else, her presence on the trail could help refute the influence of the RINOs who have become so prominent in cackling Kamala Harris’s last-ditch mission to brand Trump as “unstable” and so off-putting that 100 or so ex-Republicans removed themselves from the new MAGA Republican party and threw-in behind the dimwitted Democrat.
Put it this way – keeping Haley at arm’s length now won’t do anything to boost Trump. Trump’s claims that the party is as unified now as ever are basically true, but there are still many, many Republicans who are on the fence, not because they heartily disagree with the MAGA platform – they just don’t like the figurehead’s “tone” and personality.
Beyond the point, it seems Haley would be willing to actively campaign for Trump – if asked to show her support. The main ideological sticking point for Nikki and Trump would appear to be foreign policy, with Trump’s America First views not necessarily compatible with Haley’s discredited Bush neoconservative philosophy.
I’m assuming she still believes it, but Haley devoted a lot of her campaign to arguing for continued support for Ukraine, suggesting that fighting the Russians “over there” was superior to doing it here. Trump, on the other hand, argues that the war needs to end, period. It’s hard to tell what Trump would do once in office, but sending more tens of billions into the eastern European meatgrinder isn’t something bound to attract his favor.
Needless to say, both Haley and Trump are strong supporters of Israel in their war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. So there isn’t much distance between them there.
And there’s no guarantee Trump would want Haley to serve in the second Trump administration, since he probably doesn’t trust her to carry through with the agenda. But something could be worked out. Nikki will need Trump’s goodwill for a possible 2028 run in any case. There is much incentive for both to cooperate – to win this year.
If there’s still bad blood between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, they’d best bury it before it’s too late. Trump obviously believes he can win without her – and he may be right. But where margins are close, you can never have too many votes. If Haley is willing to campaign for Donald Trump, he’d be wise to accept her offer.
Joe Biden economy
inflation
Biden cognitive decline
gas prices,
Nancy Pelosi
Biden senile
Kamala Harris candidacy
Donald Trump campaign
Harris Trump debates
J.D. Vance
Kamala vice president
Speaker Mike Johnson
Donald Trump assassination
Donald Trump
2024 presidential election
Tim Walz
Comments