MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke at the Republican National Convention to urge voters who may still be skeptical of former President Donald Trump that they should support him in 2024.
Haley, who once left the governorship in South Carolina to serve as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, ran against him in the 2024 GOP primary. She was often viewed by Trump supporters as a centrist, establishment foil.
But the former rival told delegates in Milwaukee that “you don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”
“I haven’t always agreed with President Trump,” she said. “But we agree more often than we disagree.
“We agree on keeping America strong. We agree on keeping America safe. And we agree that Democrats have moved so far to the left that they’re putting our freedoms in danger,” Haley continued.
She discussed the stakes of the 2024 election in terms of foreign policy — her strongest subject. “When Barack Obama was president, Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea,” Haley recalled. “With Joe Biden as President, Putin invaded all of Ukraine. But when Donald Trump was president, Putin did nothing. No invasions, no wars. That was no accident.”
Haley continued: “Putin didn’t attack Ukraine because he knew Donald Trump was tough. A strong president doesn’t start wars; a strong president prevents wars.”
She turned to the Middle East, with Iran’s terrorist proxies running rampant. “Once again, compare Trump and Biden,” Haley said. “Trump got us out of the insane Iran nuclear deal. … Iran was too weak to start any wars. They knew Trump was too weak, and they were afraid.”
Haley closed on a passionate plea for unity.
“We need to be strong to save America. … Our foreign enemies win when they see Americans hate each other. They see that today, whether on college campuses, or in a field in Butler, Pennslvania.
“In this moment, we have a chance to put aside our differences and focus on what unites us and strengthens our country.
Let us join together as a party, let us come together as a people, as one country, strong and proud. Let us show our children, and the world, that even on our worst day, that we are blessed to live in America.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.