Nikki Haley has repeatedly insisted that she has no plans to run against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020. But if she changes her mind, has a strong base of support on The View.
Following Haley’s surprise resignation from her role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday, the morning show co-host lavished praise on her and expressed hope that she would reconsider a primary run against the sitting president.
“I’m a little surprised, because didn’t she seem to add some stability to this administration?” Sunny Hostin said. “I think a lot of us looked to her to be the voice of reason,” she added, suggesting that Haley could have been the author of the anonymous op-ed criticizing the administration in The New York Times, a charge Haley has denied.
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“I think her position is very important in terms of how we engage with the rest of the world and I’m very, very concerned that she has resigned,” Hostin said, adding later that Haley is “the only one that has left this administration smelling like a rose.”
Meghan McCain, who returned to The View on Monday after a hiatus following her father’s death, called Haley a “real voice of reason” on national security issues involved Russia, Syria and “things globally that traditional conservatives believe.”
“I’ve never made any qualms about how much I love her, I know her,” McCain continued. “If she ends up primarying President Trump, girl, I’ll run your campaign, period.”
During a press appearance with the president Tuesday morning, Haley reiterated her assertion that she has no plans to run against Trump. “No, I am not running in 2020,” she told reporters, definitively. “I look forward to supporting the president in the next election.”
Confronted with that fact, McCain added, “Like my dad used to say, unless you’re dead or under indictment you’re running for president.”
