
Like the other Republican presidential candidates who appeared on stage for primary debates in recent months, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley signed a pledge to support the eventual nominee.
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed at the time, the Republican National Committee included a promise to “honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden.”
See you in Milwaukee! pic.twitter.com/zFeGjrtLph
— Team DeSantis (@TeamDeSantis) August 9, 2023
Now that she is the last candidate standing against front-runner Donald Trump, however, Haley has apparently had a change of heart.
During an ABC News interview on Sunday, she was asked directly if she would honor the pledge.
“I mean, keep in mind, I am running against him for a reason,” she said.
Haley went on to reiterate her belief that Trump is not “the right person at the right time” to be the next president.
“The last thing on my mind is who I’m going to support,” she said. “The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to win this. The only thing on my mind is how we’re going to make sure that we correct what’s happening in America and bring this country back together, allow her to heal and move in a strong way.”
When interviewer Jonathan Karl reminded her that she had already made the promise, she shot back with a wildly speculative claim that the next president will be a woman.
“It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris,” she claimed. “And if Donald Trump is the nominee … for the Republican Party, he will not win.”
Haley attempted to change the subject by calling on Karl to ask Trump if he would support her, though it is worth noting that Trump skipped the debates at least in part because he was not willing to sign the pledge.
“Why would I sign a pledge if there are people on there that I wouldn’t have?” he asked in August. “I wouldn’t have certain people as somebody that I would endorse.”
Of course, Haley is not the only candidate to walk back her pledge.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie asserted earlier this month: “The only thing I will commit to is I’m not voting for Trump under any circumstances.”