OLIVIER DOULIERY
- Nikki Haley evaded committing to endorse Donald Trump if he wins presidential nominee.
- She appeared to skirt around the issue of endorsement in an NBC News interview.
- The former US Ambassador to the United Nations said she "had serious concerns about Donald Trump."
Nikki Haley, vying for the Republican presidential candidate nomination, hinted that she might not endorse the GOP presidential nominee if it's former President Donald Trump.
The former UN Ambassador signaled her detachment from the Republican National Committee's (RNC) pledge to endorse the nominee in a "Meet the Press" interview with moderator Kristen Welker on NBC News.
When asked directly by NBC's Welker, "So you're no longer bound by that pledge?" Haley said she was not obligated to endorse Trump and insisted that she has "serious concerns about Donald Trump. I have even more concerns about Joe Biden."
The prominent Republican figure refrained from committing to endorsing Trump. Haley sidestepped direct questions about her potential endorsement of Trump, instead redirecting the focus to broader electoral strategies and the significance of touching base with voters.
She said, "I'll make what decision I want to make," implying a departure from her previous stance of staunch support for the party's nominee.
"If you talk about an endorsement, you're talking about a loss. I don't think like that," she said.
In July, she expressed readiness to support Trump to avoid a presidency led by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Haley also criticized the RNC, calling it "Trump's RNC."
Last month, Haley warned about Trump's inordinate influence on the RNC. She claimed the former president wanted "control" of the committee to use it as his "piggy bank."
In the interview, Haley also called for state-level decisions to be made on issues such as abortion and IVF — a push for decentralized governance and individual freedoms.
Trading insults
Sean Rayford/AP
Haley has been ramping up attacks against him in recent weeks and sharpening her focus on his age and mental competency.
She has sought to lump Trump and President Joe Biden together as "Grumpy Old Men" in her campaign ads, presenting herself as a fresh option.
She has vowed to continue in the race through at least Super Tuesday, on March 5, contending that Republican voters deserved to have choices in the primary.
At a rally in Conway, South Carolina, last month, Trump mockingly asked questions about Haley's husband.
"Where's her husband? Oh, he's away. He's away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone."
"He knew. He knew," Trump mysteriously added.
Some have interpreted Trump's prodding questions as a veiled jab at the state of the couple's marriage.
Since January, Trump has won the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary, Nevada caucuses, the South Carolina primary — beating Haley in her own state — and the Michigan primary.