On February 22, Nikki Haley, the ex-Governor of South Carolina and a past Republican contender for the presidency, expressed doubt about Donald Trump’s chances of winning the presidential election should he secure the GOP nomination. Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN’s The Lead, Haley asserted confidently that Trump would not emerge victorious in the general election, urging Tapper and his audience to heed her words. She emphasized that while Trump might prevail in primaries, he lacks the strength to defeat the eventual Democratic Party nominee.
During her conversation with Tapper, Haley, who served as the US Ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, remarked that the United States is destined to have a female president. When pressed on who that might be, she suggested it could either be herself or Vice President Kamala Harris. The former governor of South Carolina emphasized that American voters cannot lament the outcomes of the presidential election if they remain indifferent to the events of the primaries.
Despite Haley’s campaign surpassing expectations, multiple polls indicate that she still trails significantly behind Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Trump’s lead extends even in Haley’s home state of South Carolina, where many surveys indicate he enjoys 63.8 percent support compared to the former governor’s 33.1 percent.
In an interview, Haley cautioned against placing unwavering trust in poll results. When pressed by host Blake Burman for further explanation, the former governor highlighted numerous instances where polls had counted her out, yet she ultimately delivered strong performances that exceeded expectations.
She referenced her experiences in Iowa, where she narrowly missed second place by one percent, and in New Hampshire, where she garnered 43 percent of the vote despite polls indicating she was trailing by as much as 30 percentage points on election day.
Donald Trump convincingly won the South Carolina primary on February 24, outpacing Haley, although she managed to narrow the gap to within 20 points of the former president. Alyssa Farah Griffin, who formerly served as the White House communications director under Trump, noted that Haley’s notable showing in this primary should serve as a cautionary signal for the GOP.
