Nikki Haley’s Endgame
Nikki Haley has finally uncloaked her endgame: She wants to be Donald Trump’s running mate.
From the start of the 2024 Republican coronation, everyone’s motives were obvious except for Haley’s. Mike Pence wanted a postscript. Chris Christie wanted to sound an alarm. Doug Burgum wanted a Cabinet post. Vivek Ramaswamy wanted a TV show. Ron DeSantis—bless his heart—was the lone candidate running because, at least in early 2023, he thought he could win the nomination. Tim Scott was the guy running to be Trump’s vice president. And Haley? What was her angle?
The MAGA wing of the party hated her. Trump found her to be alternately . She hadn’t. She was, like Mitt Romney and Pence, a throwback, a figure from the party’s past. The only thing she stood to gain was a chance to remind corporate boards and trade associations that she was a bona fide, certified Good Republican who still drew breath and was available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.
