Former President Donald Trump said ex-rival Nikki Haley will be "on our team" for the 2024 presidential election despite the "nasty" fight for the primary, according to The National Pulse. This comes as Haley said she will vote for the presumptive GOP nominee in the general election.
Speaking to News 12 New Jersey’s Tara Rosenblum after his rally in the Bronx Thursday, Trump indicated he had no hard feelings toward Haley. "Well, I think she’s gonna be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, same thoughts," Trump said.
"I appreciated what she said. You know, we had a nasty campaign. It was pretty nasty. But she’s a very capable person, and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form. Absolutely," Trump said.
Haley was vicious to Trump during the primary in an attempt to make a name for herself. Now that she has suspended her campaign because voters didn't want her, Haley is sidling up to Trump ahead of the general election
Following an appearance Tuesday, Haley said she would vote for Trump in November, though she has never endorsed him for president, Fox News reported. "Trump has not been perfect on these policies," she said in an interview.
"I have made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe," Haley said of President Joe Biden, who is Trump's likely opponent as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
"So, I will be voting for Trump," she added. This is a surprising about-face after she repeatedly attacked Trump, calling him "unhinged" and suggesting he was too old to be president.
It's possible that Haley has simply come around to the same opinion on Trump as many other Republicans. However, it's just as likely that she's vying for a spot as Trump's vice presidential running mate.
Perhaps Trump will continue to collect fairweather friends like Haley as he gains momentum heading into the summer before the presidential election. Trump's rally in the deep-blue Bronx this week drew as many as 10,000 people, the New York Post reported.
This could be an early indication that he will have a sweeping victory in November if rallies in Democratic strongholds are drawing large crowds. The Bronx event was just the latest to draw a shocking number of supporters in a state Trump previously didn't carry.
According to a report by WABC-TV, Trump's May 11 rally in Wildwood Beach, New Jersey, drew as many as 100,000 people. The former president has not made such an appearance in the Garden State since before his 2020 reelection campaign, but he was well received.
The shore town was packed, with local store manager Talia Cohen noting that it brought more people into the business than they'd normally see in the spring. "It's significant; it's way bigger than what we get in the summer of big weekends, which says a lot," she said.
Haley could be an asset to Trump if she urges her supporters to get behind him instead. However, Trump may not choose to put her on the ticket, knowing his supporters will not look kindly on how she treated him during the primary.
