“You don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him,” said Nikki Haley.
New Delhi:
Former rivals of Donald Trump, including Indian-Americans Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, endorsed him at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
Taking the stage during prime time, Nikki Haley stated that agreeing with Trump on every issue is not necessary for supporting him. “Take it from me: I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than not,” she said.
Earlier this year, Haley criticised Trump for his age and described his comments about Black people as ‘disgusting’.
The former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor, once a significant rival of Trump, surprised many by appearing at the Convention. She joined other endorsers after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally on Saturday.
Following her endorsement, Haley used the social media platform X to highlight what she sees as failures in the Biden-Harris administration. “If we have four more years of Biden… or even a single day of Harris… our country will be worse off. For the sake of our nation, we must choose Donald Trump,” she wrote.
I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear. Donald Trump has my strong endorsement.
Our country is at a critical moment. We have a choice to make. For more than a year, I said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris. After seeing the debate, everyone…
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) July 17, 2024
Haley faced criticism for her endorsement of Trump, with some users on social media expressing disapproval. “Congratulations on completely losing respect from both sides,” one user commented. Another wrote, “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The 52-year-old also pointed out Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and contrasted it with what she described as inaction by Vladimir Putin during Trump’s presidency.
Another former Trump rival, entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy, addressed the Convention for the first time, stating, “Donald Trump is the president who will unite this country through action, not just words.”
Ramaswamy also condemned the recent attack on Trump, which left the 78-year-old former president with a bandaged ear. The Convention marked Trump’s first public appearance since the incident.
Ron DeSantis, conservative governor of Florida and another of Trump’s challengers, also spoke at the convention, criticising President Joe Biden as unfit for the job due to his age.
Despite being the first former US president to be impeached twice, Trump received a loud ovation as he was officially announced as the Republican presidential candidate. He did not make any formal remarks but acknowledged and thanked his endorsers for their support.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden faces pressure to withdraw from the presidential race due to concerns over his age, exacerbated by his poor performance in the first presidential debate against Donald Trump.
As Trump gains endorsements from former rivals, Biden is facing potential setbacks, including the possible loss of key labour endorsement from the Teamsters union. The recent assassination attempt on Trump has also added to the tension leading up to the November presidential elections.