For the last few days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s camp has argued that Nikki Haley is angling to be former President Donald Trump’s VP candidate — and that Trump is not denying it.
On Friday, that claim seemed to bear fruit, giving the Republican governor an opening to bash Trump for being played by the establishment GOP.
DeSantis War Room, the governor’s rapid-response media team, circulated a post by CBS News on Friday evening that stated Trump is asking his allies and advisers about Haley being his No. 2.
“We warned you,” accompanied by a photo of Haley, was the lead DWR message on X on Saturday.
The CBS report claimed two sources verified that Trump is seeking opinions about adding Haley, but they were unnamed.
One key Trump ally, political strategist Roger Stone, dismissed the report as fake news. “Two sources my a–,” Stone posted on X. “This is made up bulls–t being pushed by the rejects who are supporting Ron DeSantis.”
But CBS wasn’t alone in its reporting.
Also on Friday, Politico reported that “Trump’s allies, MAGA media influencers and even his son are sending the Republican frontrunner a message as he begins to ponder potential vice president picks: Don’t even think about choosing Nikki Haley.”
“The fervid effort to kill off Haley’s veep buzz before it truly takes off has come as the former U.N. ambassador and ex-South Carolina governor is gaining momentum in the Republican primary,” Politico continued.
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“It has prompted speculation she’d be a logical choice as a running mate for Trump, who has maintained a wide polling lead and remains the strong favorite for the Republican nomination. Her rise has caught the attention of the former president, who has recently quizzed people outside his campaign for their impressions of Haley, according to three people familiar with the conversations.”
According to Politico, Trump has asked confidants, “What do you think of Nikki?”
While Trump has asked his allies about other possibilities — such as GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — “Haley has been the subject of his most recent focus,” Politico added.
Some of Trump’s backers have publicly stated they’re out if he opts for Haley.
As the Tampa Free Press has reported, conservative pundit Tucker Carlson said this week he would “advocate against it [a Trump-Haley ticket] as strongly as I could,” if Trump goes that route.
For its part, DeSantis’ team relished the news that Haley was in the conversation as Trump’s running mate.
Haley in recent weeks has promoted censorship of social media critics, argued that states should not ban sex-change procedures for children, and defended her close ties to Chinese interests while governor of South Carolina — even as she has tried to flip-flop oin these positions.
Over the last few days, DeSantis War Room has noted that Trump surrogates — such as Arizona Republican Kari Lake and Trump’s daughter in-law Lara — as well as Haley and Trump himself have not definitively ruled out her being Trump’s No. 2.
Read: Tucker Says He’s Off The Trump Train If Former South Carolina Gov. Haley Picked As His No. 2
And that has become a talking point for the campaign, which has noted repeatedly that left-wing Wall Street powerbrokers have pumped tens of millions of dollars into Haley’s campaign to get her past DeSantis as the runner-up in the primary.
“We all know why Nikki Haley is running,” DWR posted on X with a graphic that proclaimed in Trump’s signature style “Trump Nikki 2024,” underscored by “Make the Establishment Great Again.” The post also promoted a website, trumpnikki2024.com.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Thursday, DeSantis pointed out that Trump’s camp has oddly not slapped Haley with the “disloyalty” label that it readily applied to him and former Vice President Mike Pence for running in this campaign.
“I notice they don’t say the same thing about Nikki Haley. He appointed Nikki Haley to his own administration at the UN. Do you ever hear that argument made?” DeSantis said. “The only reason they criticize me is because they’re concerned I represent a threat.”
Also on Thursday, DWR circulated a column from the conservative outlet PJ Media, which argued Haley is “actually auditioning to be Trump’s running mate.”
“Haley seems more interested in running for second place in the early primary states and accomplishing the same goal that Trump has: knocking DeSantis out of the race,” PJ Media said. “It’s hard to deny what kind of campaign Haley is currently running. By mostly laying off Trump, she avoids offending him to the point where Trump could deny her the prize of being his running mate.”
On Saturday, DWR’s pinned post featured a photo of Haley and the phrase: “We warned you.”
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