Nikki Haley Faces Backlash for Endorsing Trump: “Bending the Knee,” Critics Say
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Former Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley recently endorsed former President Donald Trump by declaring, “So, I will be voting for Trump.” However, this endorsement has drawn significant backlash from various quarters. As per The Hill, Haley has been accused by Sarah Matthews, a former Trump spokesman, of choosing to “bend the knee” and support the Republican leader.
“She was building momentum, and she really could have been, maybe in a post-Trump Republican Party, been the leader, but instead, she chooses to bend the knee, kiss the ring, like every other Republican seems to do,” Matthews said in an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
“I mean, Donald Trump said it best: They always bend the knee. And it’s just disappointing, but again, not surprising,” Matthews added, referring to remarks made by the 2024 GOP frontrunner in January following his endorsement by the House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
Haley also faced criticism from former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois), who called the move ‘pathetic,’ while former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci stated she had ‘no backbone.’ Matthews is skeptical that the former governor of South Carolina will ever receive backing from Trump supporters, despite her declaration last week.
“She has criticized Donald Trump time and time again,” Matthews said. “It goes all the way back to 2016 and she’s flip-flopped numerous times on it.” “And so, I think they have already rejected her,” she added, referring to the supporters of the past president. Haley’s followers, according to Matthews, were “really excited” to watch her take on Trump.
However, it is uncertain if those people will follow her example and support him or avoid him completely. Her action “Creates this permission structure for those kinds of normie Republicans than to follow her,” Matthews added.
“And … in an election that’s going to be decided on the margins, even if it’s not the majority of those supporters, just having those few who might then end up following her and supporting Donald Trump could make the difference in some of those key battleground states,” the former Trump aide stated. Meanwhile, Matthews declared in April that she won’t be voting for her ex-boss in the coming November elections.
As per The Hill, the ex-staffer hinted that she will be voting for Biden instead. “When we have a candidate on the ballot who will not uphold the Constitution, then I feel like I have to put policy aside,” Matthews said on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki. “And I wanna support the person who is best suited to defeat Donald Trump,” she added. The former Trump aide claimed that many ‘high-ranking’ Republicans ‘bash’ Trump privately.
“What they often say is that they’re supporting him because of the policies, that they want the conservative agenda. And where I get really frustrated is that they’re treating this like it’s a normal election, a normal Republican candidate and a normal Democratic candidate,” Matthews concluded. “Well, this couldn’t be anything further from the case.”
