Former President Trump said on Thursday that Nikki Haley, who challenged him for the GOP nomination, is “gonna be on our team in some form,” reacting for the first time to her remarks that she will vote for him in November.
Trump said following his campaign rally in the South Bronx that he and the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor share the same “ideas.” He also praised Haley for being “capable.”
“Well, I think she's gonna be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, same thoughts,” Trump told Long Island’s News 12.
“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.”
Haley, who worked in the Trump administration, said on Wednesday that she would vote for the former president. She did not offer a full endorsement of the presumptive GOP nominee, but said she would cast a ballot for him since President Biden has “been a catastrophe.”
“As a voter, I put my priorities on a president who’s going to have the backs of our allies and hold our enemies to account, who would secure the border, no more excuses,” Haley said at Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank she joined last month.
Haley, who ended her White House bid in March, also encouraged Trump to reach out to millions of voters who have supported her in GOP primary contests.
During the interview on Thursday, Trump declined to share his pick for vice president, but did name a list of contenders.
“You could take people like Ben Carson, you could take people like Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance. I mean, there are so many. Elise’s [Stefanik doing a fantastic job,” Trump said, referring to the former HUD secretary, Republican senators from Florida and Ohio, and Republican representative from New York. “But I could go on for quite a long time.”
The former president said last month that there was a “good chance” he would share his choice for running mate at the Republican National Convention in July.
