Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and once a prominent figure in GOP circles, has made a shocking statement. She recently declared that she no longer felt obligated to uphold the party’s pledge to support its final nominee.
The Republican National Committee had mandated the pledge as a requirement for all candidates, and nearly every major contender has signed it. However, the current front-runner, Donald Trump, opted out of the debates and did not sign the pledge.
“Why would I sign it?” Trump said in an interview on the conservative cable network Newsmax. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
Haley, Trump’s only remaining major challenger for the nomination, was asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether she felt obligated to uphold that commitment. She has this to say, “No. I think I’ll make what decision I want to make.”
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She stated that “the RNC is now not the same RNC” as it was during the debates. Additionally, she repeated that she had always expressed “serious concerns” about Trump during her tenure as U.N. ambassador.
The RNC is undergoing some transformations, with the chair, Ronna McDaniel, scheduled to step down from her position on Friday. Trump initially selected her as his preferred choice to lead the RNC shortly after the 2016 election. That is, until the ex-president changed his decision.
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Now, McDaniel is now making way for candidates closely aligned with the former president. “I have decided to step aside at our Spring Training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing,” McDaniel said in the statement. “The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.”
Trump had already declared his choice for Michael Whatley, head of the North Carolina GOP. Also, Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law, was chosen as committee co-chair to solidify his influence within the party structure.
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On this political move, Haley told reporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday that the RNC was turning into “Donald Trump’s playpen.” She said, “The idea that they would be choosing a chair and a director before a primary is a massive control move by Donald Trump.” She also brushed off questions about whether she might withdraw from the race and eventually throw her support behind Trump.
She replied, “Right now, my focus is, ‘How do we touch as many voters? How do we win?'” she said. “I want the American people to see that you don’t have to live this way. There is a path forward. And we can do it with someone who can put in eight years, that can constantly focus on results and not the negativity and the baggage that we have right now.”
Trump won caucuses in Idaho and Missouri and got delegates in Michigan. He has 244 delegates, while Haley has 24. However, he needs 1,215 to win. The next event is in Washington, D.C., followed by Super Tuesday with 16 state primaries. Trump is most likely to secure the nomination soon after.
“I’ve always said this needs to be competitive. As long as we are competitive, as long as we are showing that there is a place for us, I’m going to continue to fight,” Haley said.
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