What is Nikki Haley up to? Former 2024 Republican hopeful joins conservative Hudson Institute as Trump signals unlikely he will pick her as vice president
- Former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has joined the Hudson Institute, the conservative think tank announced Monday
- Haley has kept a low profile since dropping out of the 2024 race last month
- Former President Donald Trump has indicated he is unlikely to choose Haley as his running mate
Former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has joined the Hudson Institute, the conservative think tank announced Monday.
Haley has kept a low profile since dropping out of the 2024 race last month.
She pulled the plug on her campaign after losing all but one state to former President Donald Trump on Super Tuesday, and left Charleston, South Carolina, a day later.
Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, has indicated he is unlikely to add Haley to his ticket. The New York Times reported this on Sunday that he attacked her in conversations with aides and friends.
During her presidential run, Haley also said she was not interested in being anyone’s vice president.
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley joins the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC. She has kept a low profile since withdrawing from the presidential race from Charleston, South Carolina, on March 6 (pictured)
Nikki Haley poses with supporters on March 3 in South Burlington, Vermont. Haley won Vermont and Washington DC, but lost all other Republican primaries to former President Donald Trump and dropped out of the presidential race early last month
‘I’m not playing for second place. I don’t want to be anyone’s vice president. That is off the table,” she said ahead of the New Hampshire primary in January.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, previously served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
She is also unlikely to take on another cabinet role.
However, working for a DC-based think tank keeps her in the political game.
Haley was the last Republican presidential candidate to remain in the race.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was seen as Trump’s strongest opponent when he launched his presidential bid last May, never gained the kind of traction needed to take on the former president.
After a Hail Mary trip to South Carolina after the Iowa caucuses, DeSantis dropped out of the race in January ahead of the New Hampshire primary, where he was not expected to perform well.
Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was appointed Walter P. Stern Chair at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
DeSantis supported Trump on his way out, but gave Haley a chance at a head-to-head race with Trump.
But Haley lost New Hampshire to Trump by 11 points and then lost her home state of South Carolina to Trump by 20 points.
She only won primaries in Washington, DC and Vermont before announcing she was leaving the race on March 6.
Haley did not support Trump when she went public.
The former UN ambassador has been appointed Walter P. Stern Chair at the Hudson Institute.
Stern led the Hudson Institute through ten presidential administrations and passed away in 2022.
“It is fitting that Nikki has taken on this title,” said his daughter, Sarah May Stern, who chairs Hudson’s Board of Trustees. “She is a courageous and insightful policymaker and these qualities are essential in making Hudson the powerful policy organization it is today, and I am immensely proud that she has joined the Institute.”
In a statement, Haley added: “When our policymakers fail to call out our enemies or recognize the importance of our alliances, the world is less safe. That’s why Hudson’s work is so crucial.’
“They believe that the American people should have the facts and policymakers should have the solutions to support a safe, free and prosperous future,” she also said. “I look forward to working with them to defend the principles that make America the greatest country in the world.”