Former South Carolina Governor and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Monday that former President Donald Trump "can't win a general election" because of all the indictments against him and put herself forward as an alternative nominee.

“You look at these indictments, there’s probably going to be a fourth indictment. We can’t have, as Republicans, him as the nominee,” she said on CNBC's Squawk Box. “He can’t win a general election. That’s the problem. We’ve got to go and have someone who can actually win.”

Haley reiterated her position that both Trump and President Joe Biden are too old to run for president again and that it's time for a new generation to lead.

“We need a new generational leader,” she said. “We’ve got to leave this negativity behind.”

"We can't afford that"

Haley has said that she believes if Biden is re-elected, Vice President Kamala Harris will end up as president because Biden won't survive the term.

“We can’t afford that. That is not going to happen,” she said.

The trouble is, Haley is only polling in the single digits--far behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Despite two indictments and the threat of a third, Trump has a healthy polling lead over the rest of the pack.

Unless he removes himself from the equation, however, it seems like Trump will run away with the GOP nomination whether he can be elected in the general election or not.

Democrat manipulations

Are the Democrats manipulating the GOP base by continuing to pursue indictments of Trump, knowing that his supporters will dig in even harder and give them a beatable candidate?

There's no doubt that the indictments are politically motivated and that, bottom line, one party is using its political power and influence in an attempt to damage or destroy the primary opponent of its nominee.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed, tweeting, “It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades. I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice."

The American public has never seen anything like this before, and with another year-plus until the general election, they're just getting started.

And while McCarthy has vowed to hold the DOJ accountable, he may not be able to do so in time for the 2024 election when it really matters.