Internet trolls Nikki Haley for saying she would 'maybe' consider Ron DeSantis as her running mate

WASHINGTON, DC: In an interview on Friday, January 5, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley made headlines as she expressed openness to considering Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as her potential running mate in the ongoing Republican presidential race.

Speaking to NBC News and the Des Moines Register in a joint interview, Haley stated, "If he wants to join forces with me, I welcome that."

Her comments come at a critical juncture in the Republican campaign, where contenders seek to position themselves as the primary alternative to former President Donald Trump, who maintains a commanding lead in polls.

Tension Between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis

The tension between the two candidates has escalated, marked by a series of verbal sparring matches on the campaign trail.

“I am going to defeat Donald Trump on my own. That’s the goal that we have. If he wants to join forces with me, I welcome that," Haley declared while responding to inquiries about the prospect of allying with DeSantis. "But right now, we’ve got a race that we feel good about. We’ve got a surge. We’ve got momentum."

DeSantis, in a countermove, responded to the question of potentially joining forces with Haley with a dismissive "For what?" per NBC. He went even further, labeling Haley as a "phony" and a "darling of the Never Trumpers" in a joint interview with the two outlets.

Haley strategically avoided extensive commentary on DeSantis during her interview. Instead, she addressed various other aspects, including whether former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie should exit the race, attacks on her record from the right, and reflections on the racism she experienced growing up.

The issue of a potential vice-presidential role under Trump also surfaced. Haley chose not to provide a direct answer, dismissing it as a ploy by her opponents. She stated, "The reason I don’t answer that question is I don’t play my opponents’ games." However, she sought to downplay the possibility, adding, "I am not running to be vice president."

Social media in splits as Nikki Haley says DeSantis could 'maybe' be her running mate

Haley's openness to considering DeSantis as her running mate sparked a wave of social media trolling as a clip of the moment from the interview was posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Losers stick together," one posted on X. "Wow, if you combine your forces, you'll only lose by 50 points instead of 60," another quipped.

"If that were to happen, nobody would go to the polls," a comment read.

"They both look great in high heels, so I guess that’s appropriate," someone else joked. "Doesn’t surprise me, she’s siphoning off what little support DeSantis had," another offered.

Nikki Haley's position in the campaign

Haley has notably surged to the second position behind Trump in most polls in New Hampshire. This surge has put increasing pressure on Chris Christie, who courts many of the same moderate and independent voters in the state as Haley, to reconsider his candidacy and prevent splitting the non-Trump vote.

While Haley refrained from directly calling on Christie to end his campaign, she questioned the purpose of his continued participation, especially given his limited campaigning in Iowa or South Carolina, the states that vote before and after New Hampshire in the GOP nominating contest.

“I think it’s left everybody scratching their heads saying, ‘You know, you say you want to defeat Trump, yet you might be the one person that helps him win,’” Haley commented regarding Christie staying in the race.

Approaching the Iowa caucus just 10 days away, Haley tempered expectations, stating that her goal is to have a "strong" showing rather than an outright victory. When questioned about the significance of finishing double-digits behind Trump, she affirmed, "Absolutely. I mean, it’s one of many states."

Despite her strong showing in polls, Haley refused to commit to dropping out if she loses in her home state of South Carolina, where Trump leads by a wider margin than in New Hampshire. She asserted, "I am fighting every day to make sure" Trump doesn't win in South Carolina.

In an attempt to counter rivals' efforts to paint her as a moderate, Haley took a firm stance, labeling herself a "hardcore conservative." However, she emphasized the need for the Republican Party to focus on "trying to win the majority."

She stated, "The only way we’re going to save our country is if we go after everybody, if we focus on lifting up everybody, not just a select few, and that’s what I’m going to do. And so yes, is that conservatives? Yes. Is that moderates? Yes. Is that independents? Yes. I want them all.”

Nikki Haley counters Donald Trump's attack

Addressing recent attempts by the Trump campaign to tie her stances on immigration to President Joe Biden’s border policy in a new ad in New Hampshire, Haley pushed back, asserting that Trump didn't do enough to secure the border during his presidency.

She clarified, "When Trump says that I didn’t want the border wall. That’s not what I said. What I said is, a border wall is not enough. You have to do more than that."

In a notable policy statement, Haley expressed support for sending US special operations into Mexico to combat drug cartels if Mexico fails to address the issue. She remarked, "If Mexico doesn’t deal with it, we’ll deal with it."

Meanwhile, reflecting on the third anniversary of the Capitol attack, Haley characterized January 6, 2021, as a "terrible day" and emphasized the importance of holding those who broke the law accountable.

However, she drew a distinction, stating, "Not everybody did something wrong. But the ones that went in, the ones that broke the law, those are the ones — you have to hold them accountable." Haley added, “You have to make sure that they pay the price to show that it will never happen again.”

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