Donald Trump Jr. drew a line in the sand for his father in the veepstakes: no Nikki Haley.
The former president’s son doused cold water on the notion that former President Donald Trump would select his former UN ambassador as a running mate. Trump Jr. was adamant about flexing his clout to ensure Haley did not get the position.
“I wouldn’t have her and I would go to great lengths to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” he told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling in a recent interview.
“Nikki Haley wants never-ending wars. She’s a puppet of the establishment in Washington, DC. She’s the new favorite candidate of the billionaire class because they want control— no different than academia and Harvard and using their billions to exercise influence.”
Haley has skyrocketed in 2024 GOP primary polling over recent weeks, coming within four points of Trump in a recent American Research Group survey.
She served as Trump’s US ambassador to the UN from 2017 to 2018. Amid her polling surge, there have been some murmurs about her being his vice president, including from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign has needled her over the VP chatter, recently launching a website for Trump-Nikki 2024.
Over recent weeks, Trump has asked some of his confidants for their thoughts as Haley serving as vice president, CBS reported.
Haley has tamped down speculation of vice presidential aspirations, insisting that, “I don’t run for second.” Moreover, she has criticized Trump, saying that “chaos and drama” follow him.
Trump Jr. took note of Haley’s rise in the polls.
“Ron DeSantis has proven that he doesn’t have what it takes to be on that stage. He’s embarrassed himself that way,” he surmised. “She is now the preferred candidate.”
His sister-in-law, Lara Trump has expressed openness to the prospect of a Trump-Haley ticket.
“Crazier things have happened,” she previously Newsmax. “I would never say never with Donald J. Trump.”
Trump Jr. is not the only MAGA star to voice his dismay at such a ticket.
“MAGA would revolt if Nikki Haley were to even be given an internship in Trump’s next administration,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) predicted on X earlier this month.
“She represents the neocon establishment America last wing of the Republican Party that we are absolutely done with.”
The Post contacted Haley’s campaign for comment.