Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) avoided answering questions regarding how her campaign will differ from former President Trump’s.
Instead, she insisted that her main focus is to get President Joe Biden out of the White House.
“I don’t focus on President Trump,” Haley said, dodging questions from Fox News. “It’s amazing that the media wants to talk about that so much. I am focused on Joe Biden.”
Haley is the first Republican to announce a presidential run against Trump, who announced his bid for a second term last November.
With Haley being a former Trump official, the media is fixated on how the race will pan out given their past relationship.
The South Carolina Republican believes new blood is needed in Washington and says looking forward is the best way to do that.
“I think we need new energy going in,” Haley said. “I think we need to leave the status quo of the past and start looking ahead.”
In April 2021, Haley claimed that she would not run for president if Trump were also going to run. However, her mindset has changed since then.
The former president has welcomed Haley into the race with open arms, saying “the more, the merrier,” before throwing a dig at how she broke a promise not to run against him.
“I’m glad she’s running,” Trump said in an interview. “I want her to follow her heart — even though she made a commitment that she would never run against who she called the greatest president of her lifetime.”
A day after Haley announced her candidacy, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told reporters that Trump would most likely be the Republican 2024 nominee and that the potential wide field of candidates will only improve his chances.
However, several speculate the actual race will be between Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla) should he decide to run.
Polls show it’s a close call, but DeSantis edges out ahead of Trump most of the time as the more favorable candidate.
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