Former US President Donald Trump dismissed the notion of selecting former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley as a running mate, hours after she seemed to rule out the possibility of joining his ticket.
“She is OK, but she is not presidential timber. And when I say that, that probably means she is not going to be chosen as the vice president,” Trump, who is the dominant front-runner for the GOP nomination, said at a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, The Hill reported.
Haley, Trump's primary competitor in the polls in New Hampshire, has repeatedly asserted that she is not running for second place in the GOP primary. However, she had refrained from commenting on whether she would consider being the former president's running mate.
Her growing momentum in the GOP race, marked by a steady increase in her poll numbers in recent months, has sparked speculation about her potential as a contender for Trump's running mate. Some Republicans, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have suggested that Haley could be a suitable choice to address Trump’s perceived weaknesses as a candidate.
On the other hand, certain figures within Trump's circle, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, his son Donald Trump Jr., and former adviser Steve Bannon, have expressed the belief that selecting Haley as a running mate would incite a revolt among his most devoted supporters.
Sources close to Trump have downplayed the idea that he was genuinely considering Haley as his running mate. In recent weeks, Trump has launched personal attacks against his former Cabinet member, even sharing a false birther conspiracy to suggest any consideration for her as a running mate was not on serious grounds.
The New Hampshire rally coincides with Granite State voters gearing up to participate in the first-in-the-nation primary next week. In the latest polling average from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump maintains a lead over Haley by just over 10 percent.
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