Nikki Haley says Trump has always been 'his own worst enemy’: Full interview

Summary

In an interview, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley discusses the pressure from Trump and the RNC to drop out of the race. She stands firm, arguing the people should decide the nominee, not the party elite. Haley addresses Trump's personal attacks on her, saying they don't hurt her, but show he feels threatened. She argues Trump is declining mentally, ranting when insecure, and needs to step aside. Haley says Republicans and Democrats must secure the border immediately, no more excuses. She would not yet endorse a theoretical border security bill or commit to endorsing Trump as the nominee, focusing entirely on defeating him for the good of the country.

Takeaways

• 🔵 Nikki Haley emphasizes her resilience against what she perceives as bullying from Donald Trump and criticizes the political elite for inefficiency in addressing key issues like wasteful spending, border security, and global safety.
• 🔵 Haley expresses disagreement with the RNC's early push to unify the Republican Party around Trump, advocating for a democratic process that respects the choices of all American voters across all states.
• 🔵 Haley outlines her stance on term limits, mental competency tests for politicians, and accountability in budget management as measures to combat the inefficiency of the political class.
• 🔵 Despite Trump's significant lead and endorsements in South Carolina, Haley remains confident in her grassroots support and emphasizes her history of overcoming establishment opposition.
• 🔵 Haley critiques the RNC and Trump for attempting to prematurely decide the Republican nominee, advocating for a process that allows voters to have their say.
• 🔵 Haley is critical of Trump's legal distractions, arguing they divert attention from critical issues like the economy, border security, education, and law and order.
• 🔵 Haley commits to staying in the presidential race as long as she sees growth in her support per state, emphasizing a strategy focused on building momentum.
• 🔵 Haley questions the effectiveness of a potential pause in Israeli military operations in Gaza, highlighting concerns over giving Hamas time to regroup.
• 🔵 Responding to attacks from Trump, including questioning her eligibility for presidency based on her heritage, Haley dismisses these as signs of his insecurity and emphasizes her focus on policy over personal attacks.
• 🔵 Haley vehemently states she does not aim to be vice president under anyone, focusing solely on her presidential campaign and criticizing Trump's ability to lead effectively.

Q & A

What is Ambassador Haley's response to calls from Trump and the RNC for her to exit the presidential race?

Haley says Trump cannot 'bully his way through the nomination' and argues the RNC should not be deciding the nominee after only two states have voted. She wants to let the process play out.

Does Haley think she needs to win the South Carolina primary to stay viable?

Haley says she does not necessarily need an outright win in South Carolina but needs to build momentum by improving on her second place finish in New Hampshire. She plans to stay in the race through Super Tuesday.

How does Haley respond to Trump's attacks on her background and eligibility?

Haley laughs them off and says Trump lashes out when he feels threatened or insecure. She calls the attacks racist but does not directly say Trump is racist.

What is Haley's view on the border security negotiations in Congress?

Haley says Republicans and Democrats should not leave Washington until they reach a deal. She wants provisions like Remain in Mexico reinstated but is unsure if she would sign the current bill.

Would Haley support a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas?

Haley says the US should support the truce if Israel agrees, but she worries Hamas will use the time to rearm and plan further attacks on Israel.

How does Haley respond to a swatting incident at her home?

Haley says it endangered her elderly parents and law enforcement. She views it as an example of the chaos in the country that needs to end.

Is Haley concerned about political violence?

Yes, Haley says she has received threats on the campaign trail. She worries for her kids and says it shows the division in the country that needs healing.

Has Haley ruled out serving as Trump's running mate?

Yes, Haley reiterates she does not want to be anyone's vice president and is focused only on winning the Republican nomination.

Would Haley endorse Trump if he wins the nomination?

Haley avoids directly answering, only saying she is focused on defeating Trump for the nomination, not on endorsements.

What does Haley see as her path to beating Biden in a general election?

Haley says polls show she would beat Biden by double digits, giving her a mandate to cut wasteful spending and secure the border.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Haley on Trump pressuring RNC and path forward

Haley responded to Trump pressuring the RNC to endorse him, saying he can't bully the nomination. She discussed her path forward, saying she needs to build momentum and be stronger in each state. She is focused on defeating Trump and will stay in the race through Super Tuesday.

05:02

😊 Haley on needing to win South Carolina

When pressed on whether she needs to win her home state of South Carolina, Haley said she needs to show she's building momentum and be stronger than New Hampshire. She doesn't think she necessarily has to win but has to be close and continue narrowing the margin.

10:04

😐 Haley avoids calling Trump attacks racist

Asked about Trump's birther-style attacks on her background, Haley laughed them off and said they don't hurt her feelings. Pressed on whether they are racist, she deferred, saying it's for others to decide but they show his unpresidential behavior.

15:05

😕 Haley on border deal and shutting down border

Haley said Republicans shouldn't leave DC without a border deal. She hasn't seen this bill but said it needs to include Remain in Mexico. Asked if she'd shut down the border, she said prove it and get it done.

20:06

😡 Haley rules out being Trump's running mate

When asked, Haley definitively ruled out being Trump's or anyone's running mate. She is focused on winning the nomination herself. She believes she can defeat Biden in a general election by double digits unlike Trump.

Keywords

💡Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley, a significant figure in the script, is portrayed as a politician and former Ambassador who is responding to political pressures and criticisms in the context of a race for a political nomination. The script shows her defending her position against the backdrop of a request by former President Donald Trump to withdraw from the race and the Republican National Committee's (RNC) call for unity around Trump. Haley's responses underscore her stance against the political elite and her advocacy for term limits, mental competency tests, and budgetary discipline, positioning herself as a fighter for the people against established political figures.

💡Donald Trump

Donald Trump is mentioned as exerting influence over the RNC and as a key figure in the political landscape that Nikki Haley is navigating. The script references Trump's call for Haley to exit the race, highlighting the tension between his support base and other Republican candidates. Trump's actions, including his alleged attempts to influence the RNC and his legal challenges, serve as a backdrop to Haley's campaign narrative, emphasizing the division within the Republican Party and Trump's controversial role in it.

💡Republican National Committee (RNC)

The RNC is mentioned as having made calls for the party to unify around Trump, which is portrayed as a premature and exclusionary move given that only two states had voted at the time. This reflects the internal conflicts within the Republican Party and the struggle between the party's establishment and its broader base. Haley criticizes the RNC's stance as not being an honest broker in the nomination process, highlighting the democratic principle that the American people should choose their nominee.

💡Political Elite

The term 'political elite' is used by Nikki Haley to describe the established political class that she argues has failed to address key issues such as wasteful spending, border security, and global safety. Haley's critique of the political elite underlines her campaign's message of change and her positioning as an outsider willing to challenge the status quo for the benefit of the general populace.

💡Delegates

Delegates are mentioned in the context of the nomination process, with specific numbers cited to illustrate the early stage of the race between Trump and Haley. The mention of delegates serves to quantify the candidates' performance and progress in the primary elections, highlighting the competitive nature of the process and the importance of each state's role in determining the nominee.

💡Term Limits

Haley advocates for term limits as part of her campaign, arguing that they are necessary to combat the stagnation and self-interest of the political elite. This proposal is presented as a measure to ensure political accountability and renewal, reflecting Haley's broader critique of the current political system and her desire for reform.

💡Mental Competency Tests

Mental competency tests are proposed by Haley as a criterion for political office, reflecting her concerns about the fitness and capability of elected officials. This proposal is part of her broader agenda to improve governance and accountability, addressing concerns about the suitability of candidates for public office, especially in light of age and mental acuity.

💡Border Security

Border security is a recurrent theme in Haley's responses, signifying her stance on national security and immigration. She criticizes the current administration's handling of the border and proposes more stringent measures, positioning this issue as central to her campaign and as a point of differentiation from her political opponents.

💡Legal Challenges

Legal challenges are mentioned in relation to Donald Trump, highlighting the various court cases and legal issues that have surrounded him. These challenges are presented as distractions that prevent Trump from focusing on policy issues, according to Haley. This aspect of the script underscores the contentious and litigious nature of Trump's political career, which Haley argues detracts from the ability to govern effectively.

💡Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday is referenced as a critical juncture in the primary election process, where a significant number of delegates are at stake across multiple states. Haley's comments about looking forward to Super Tuesday and her strategy for the race reflect the importance of this event in gaining momentum and securing a strong position in the nomination race.

Highlights

Haley says Trump can't bully his way to the nomination and the political elite has gotten nothing done

Haley claims Trump has become an insider more interested in satisfying the political class than the people

Haley says she needs to show growing momentum and be competitive in South Carolina to stay in the race

Haley says Trump's unhinged behavior and court cases show he's insecure, threatened and distracted

Haley trusts the jury's ruling finding Trump liable for sexual abuse but doesn't think it should disqualify him

Haley says Trump's attacks on her don't hurt her feelings but show he's becoming more unhinged

Haley calls on Republicans and Democrats to stay in DC until they secure the border

Haley says Israel has to eliminate Hamas and the US can't take its eyes off the target

Haley describes a swatting incident at her home as awful and dangerous

Haley says the division and chaos show the country has forgotten what normal and healing feel like

Haley is focused on defeating Trump, not thinking about endorsements or being anyone's VP

Haley beats Biden in polls and has a mandate to control spending and secure the border

Haley says she doesn't want to be anyone's vice president, which she says is pretty clear

Haley is determined to save the country and says they have to remember what being American first feels like

Haley is focused on South Carolina and Super Tuesday, not on what happens if she loses

Transcripts

and joining me now is Ambassador Nikki

Haley Ambassador Haley welcome back to

Meet the

Press thanks so much Christen for having

me well we really appreciate your being

here as you know former president Donald

Trump has called on you to get out of

this race the RNC says it's time for

Republicans to unify around Mr Trump

what is your response to this apparent

pressure campaign against

you look I mean he can't bully his way

through the nomination I think that you

know it's not surprising that he is

surrounded by the political Elite but

let's keep in mind the political Elite

has gotten nothing done for us in

stopping the wasteful spending has

gotten nothing done to secure the Border

has gotten nothing done to keep us more

safe as we see Wars around the world and

so look that's exactly what we don't

want I mean the reason the political

Elite are upset and the members of

Congress are upset is because I've

pushed for ter limits I've pushed for

mental competency tests I've said if

they don't get a budget out on time they

shouldn't get paid so look I have fought

this political class um my entire life

and it's it's I'd much rather be

fighting for the people than fighting

for the elected officials in DC

Ambassador do you think just going back

to the RNC calling for the party to

unify around Trump which happened by the

way during the New Hampshire primary

before the polls had even closed do you

think the RNC has been an honest broker

in this

case I mean clearly not if you're going

to go and and basically tell the

American people that you're going to go

and decide who the nominee is after only

two states have voted I mean 48 states

out there this is a democracy the

American people want to have their say

in who is going to be their nominee we

need to give them that I mean you can't

do that based on just two states and not

only that it's 1215 delegates to reach

the nomination Donald Trump has 32 I

have 17 so let's let let this play out

let's do what we need to I mean we saw

South Carolinians we had 1500 people

last night in Greenville County and I

think that Americans want to be able to

make this decision themselves I don't

think this is the place of the RNC to do

it I think that uh Trump overstepped

when he pushed them to do it and I think

that's why he's had to back down and

that was the right thing to do was to

back down and and just do do you have

actual knowledge and awareness that he

pushed the RNC to do that and then

pulled

back

I mean we know exactly the people that

pushed it are his people and I know that

during the debates I mean he was pushing

Ron McDaniel to stop the debates he was

calling her every other day he's been

pushing them um to pay for his lawsuits

and all of these other things but at the

end of the day this is not about the RNC

this is about the American people this

is not about a you know a political

party deciding who they want to be the

nominee you know when I ran for governor

there were five candidates I was far

from the nominee I was the one I you

know I ran against a lieutenant governor

an attorney general a congressman and a

state senator they did the same thing to

me then I won then I'm going to win now

let's talk about your path forward as

you know Trump has a double- digigit

lead in the polls he secured the

endorsement of a lot of the top

officials in your state do you need to

win South Carolina your home state in

order to win the

nomination well let's first talk about

the people that he surrounded himself in

South Carolina um yes he got the the

endorsement of the governor but that's

the same Governor that I defeated when I

ran for governor yes he got the

endorsement of the political class in

South Carolina but that's the same group

that I forced to have to show their

votes on the record it's the same group

that I forced to pass ethics reform

where they had to disclose their income

it's the same group where I vetoed half

a billion dollars of pet projects that I

didn't think taxpayer dollar should go

to so there's no Sur surprised there

that the political Elite are surrounding

him there he has become Trump has become

an Insider that's what it comes down to

is he's more interested in satisfying

the elected class than he is in

satisfying the people when it comes to

South Carolina look we wanted to be

strong and I think you look we started

with 2% in Iowa we ended up with 20% we

got to New Hampshire we needed to do

better than that and we did we got 43%

of the vote now we're going into South

Carolina we need to be stronger than

what we did in New Hampshire and so

that's certainly what we need to do but

it's not just that we need to be

stronger Kristen Trump needs to be

stronger he's not getting the

independent vote he's not getting a

segment of the Republicans and so he's

got some work to do as well let me just

make sure we get an answer though

Ambassador Hy because this is your home

state you were governor in the state of

South Carolina do you need to win your

home state in order to stay in this race

is it do or

die I think I need to do better than I

did in New Hampshire so this is a

building situation it's not about State

you you don't do you need to actually I

hear you saying you need to do better

but do don't you need to win your home

state to show that you can win a State

win your home state and really put some

delegates on the map for

yourself well we've got 17 delegates

he's got 32 I'd say that's pretty good

to start what I do think I need to do is

I need to show that I'm building

momentum I need to show that I'm

stronger in South Carolina than New

Hampshire does that have to be a win I

don't think that necessarily has to be a

win but it certainly has to be better

than what I did in New Hampshire and it

certainly has to be close and so that's

what we're focusing on if we win great

if not we've got to show that we're

continuing to narrow that margin along

the way to give people in super Tuesday

States a reason to know that they can

continue to see and and have us fight on

so I hear you saying you are in this

regardless of the results in South

Carolina through super Tuesday it sounds

like here's how the Wall Street Journal

editorial board is thinking about your

campaign they write if she can remain

competitive there's an argument for Miss

Haley to stay in the race through the

July convention Mr Trump faces a

treacherous legal Road and one of the

cases against him could go to trial if

he's convicted of a felony 42% of Voters

in New Hampshire and nearly a third of

Iowa's GOP caucus goers said Mr Trump

would be unfit for the presidency are

you staying in this race in case Donald

Trump is convicted of a crime

ambassador

I've never stayed in this race because

of court cases um you know really I

don't know what all the court cases are

I haven't paid attention to what he's

won what he's lost what he's fighting

for any of that what I know is you know

the first one came down and he spent a

lot of time ranning about how he lost

that court case but the reality is every

time he's talking about defending

himself in court he's not talking about

getting our economy back on track he's

not talking about closing the Border

he's not talking about how we're going

to get our kids reading again and

getting getting us focused again he's

not talking about Law and Order that's

the problem is he's not talking about

what the American people want Kristen

look at what happened just in the 48

hours after the election here he went on

a he was totally unhinged went on a

rampage election night talking about

revenge then the next day he goes and

says anybody who supports me is not

going to be allowed to be part of Maga

well that means those people that voted

for me in Iowa and New Hampshire and

those people who' donated to me really

you're going to go and say they're not

in your Club you're supposed to be

president representing everyone then he

goes and pushes the Republican party to

make him the nominee I mean look he's

insecure he's threatened he sees what's

happening and he knows these court cases

are going to take him further and

further away from the campaign Trail and

that's what he's worried about and you

bring up the court cases I want to get

to them but just yes or no are you in

this race through the convention Beyond

super Tuesday yes or

no as long as I keep growing per state I

am in this race I have every intention

of going to Super Tuesday through

through super Tuesday we're going to

keep on going and see where this gets us

that's what we know we're going to do

right now I take it one state at a time

I don't think too far ahead let's talk

about I'm not going anywhere all right

let's talk about the court cases on

Friday a jury ordered Donald Trump to

pay writer Eugene Carroll $83 million in

Damages for defamation as you know this

was a year after a different jury found

him liable for sexual abuse you have

said and you repeat here uh maybe it's

fair maybe it's not but let me just ask

you on the substance of the jury's

ruling should that be disqualifying to

be

president I think the American people

decide who should be disqualifying I've

always thought it's the same thing with

the RNC picking the nominee we don't

need to take over anything that the

American people have the right to do I

think that I've always said I think

Donald Trump has the right to be on the

ballot I've always said I trust the

American people they know how to make

good decisions and so I think that

they're going to see this for what it is

they see that he's completely distracted

they see that he's going on these rants

about how he's the victim and I think

that's exactly what that we don't need a

strong leader to be and so you know

these court cases are going to keep

happening one by one we're going to keep

seeing him in a courtroom and we're

going to see him come out and do a press

conference that's not what you want a

president to be but more than that

that's not what we want Russia to see

that's not what we want China to see and

that's not what we want Iran to see and

what is unique about this case is that

the jury has now ruled they have found

him liable of sexual abuse do you not

trust the jury and their findings

Ambassador I absolutely trust the jury

and I think that they made their

decision based on the evidence I just

don't think that should take him off the

ballot I think the American people will

take him off the ballot I think that's

the best way to go forward is not let

him play the victim let him play the

loser that's what we want him to do at

the end of the day just to be clear do

you think it's disqualifying

Ambassador I don't think he should be

taken off the ballot I think the

American people will decide if he's

disqualifying or not we don't do that

Kristen in America anybody that wants to

run can run and I think that's really

important we have seen a lot of people

trying to infringe on our freedoms and

our democracy we can never let that

happen I don't want a political party

deciding who's right and wrong I don't

want you know any judges to decide who

deserves to be on the ballot and who

doesn't I want the American people to

decide it that's what the heartbeat of

America is our democracy let's let the

American people decide who they want to

lead this country Ambassador just one

more time before we move on and we are

going to move on to another topic but

you have said his Advanced age makes him

unfit you have just now called him

unhinged why give him a pass on this

issue where a jury has found him liable

for sexual

abuse I'm not giving him a pass on

anything I mean I have said you know he

went on for for three or four minutes

talking about how I didn't secure the

capital on January 6 I mean clearly he

was confused um thinking that I was

Nancy Pelosi but look that's exactly why

we don't need two people in their 80s

running for president we need someone

who can serve a strong eight years to

get our country back on track you can't

do that with him and I think it's not

being disrespectful it's the fact that

when you're 80 you are declining that's

just a fact and so look there are

multiple things that I think are the

reason should not be president that's

the whole reason I'm running I do think

that he is in Decline and I think that

he needs to know to step away I do think

that he surrounds himself in chaos and

we can't be a country in disarray and

have a world on fire and be in chaos I

do think that these court cases are

distracting not just to the American

people but to him himself which is

keeping him from talking about what

really matters that's exactly why I

don't think he should be president

Ambassador you bring up his attacks I

want to ask you about his attacks

against you he has mocked your birth

name he has suggested you're not

eligible to be president because your

parents weren't born here of course you

are eligible you were born here but I'm

curious just big picture what do you

make of him bringing back this bir or

Playbook against you do you think it

will work in South Carolina and win over

voters

there I mean honestly Kristen I laugh

every time I see one of his tweets every

time I see him um throw a temper tantrum

because I know Donald Trump very well

when he feels insecure he starts to rail

he starts to rant he starts to flail his

arms and he starts to get upset when he

gets feels threatened he starts to throw

all kinds of things out there I would

always tell him he was his Own Worst

Enemy he's proving that right now he

proved it in the fact that he continues

to be chaotic those things don't hurt my

feelings this is not personal for me

what is personal for me is getting

America back on track would you go so

far as to call those attacks racist IST

Ambassador I think that's for everybody

else to decide I think that they um you

know the fact that he continues to go

down these Paths of saying things you

know is this who we want as a president

is this who we want our kids to see I

don't think so and look he's just going

to become more unhinged Kristen hold on

it's going to get worse because that's

what he does when he feels like he's not

in control I do want to ask you about

this border deal there have been talks

for weeks now a group of senators

working on this deal they seem to be

close to the finish line but now Donald

Trump is trying to torpedo any deal he

wrote this weekend quote a bad border

deal is far worse than no border deal

what is your message right now to

Republicans on Capitol Hill should they

get this deal

done my message to Republicans is do not

leave DC until you finish the job it we

have waited for so long for Congress to

do something about the Border first Joe

Biden should be securing the Border this

is a national security threat the idea

that he is actually suing Governor

Abbott for trying to protect the people

of Texas is wrong America's acting like

it's September 10th and we better

remember what September 12th felt like

because it only takes one person to

cause a 911 moment the second thing is

Republicans and Democrats need to get

into a room they don't need to leave

until they figure this out because the

American people are not safe at this

point and Donald Trump the last thing he

needs to do is tell them to to wait to

pass a border deal until the election we

can't wait one more day but they do need

to get this right I don't know exactly

the details in the bill but one of the

things I saw is that they didn't have

the remain in Mexico policy you have to

have the remain in Mexico policy because

people need don't even need to step foot

on us soil that's the first place we

need to start Ambassador Hy the Biden

Administration has said they're taking

action against Governor Abbott because

they see some of his policies as

inhumane but let me ask you big picture

we heard president President Biden say

he's prepared to shut down the Border if

this deal passes if you were president

if you were in the white house right now

and I know that you are saying

Republicans should get a deal but you're

also saying you don't see everything in

it you want would you sign this bill

would you sign this into

law well I haven't seen the details of

the bill so I can't comment on whether I

would sign it what I can tell you is

I've seen things that are not in it that

should be in it and let's let's keep in

mind I appreciate that that President

Biden saying he wants to be um Humane in

this process but look I dealt with the

Border when I was in the United Nations

while President Trump was dealing with

it in DC I was on the ground in Honduras

and Guatemala what those people go

through in that trk to America is

horrific and it's dangerous and it's

unsafe we need to make sure they never

even think there's an opening for them

they shouldn't even make that Trek in

the first place and what's happened is

they see all their family members coming

over they see all their friends coming

over he gave President Biden gave half a

million Venezuelans temporary protective

status which is social security numbers

and driver's license is the first thing

they do I saw this at the UN they pick

up the phone and call their relatives

and say come on over we need to stop

what's happening we need to get this

done when you hear President Biden say

he's prepared to shut down the

Border what say you about that you you

agree with that

assessment I say to President Biden

prove it get into a room and get this

done and prove Pro it because the

American people are waiting I put this

on Republicans and Democrats I'm not

picking favorites in this I'm telling

you they have all not done a good job

from the very beginning and it is time

that we get this uh country safe again

let's talk about what's happening in the

Middle East there are reports the US is

getting closer to negotiating a deal

that would effectively mean Israel would

suspend its military operations in Gaza

for about 2 months in exchange for

release of the remaining hostages the

CIA director is in Paris negotiating

these talks right now if you were

president if you were in the white house

right now is this the type of deal you

would get behind would you be supporting

this and urging Israel to accept this

compromise we want to do everything we

can to get the hostages home but I also

know what this means this means that

during those two months Hamas is going

to refuel they're going to re um build

their ammunition they're going to replan

they're going to plan all of the things

that they're going to do they have said

they're going to do another attack and

Israel has to keep themselves safe so

this is a fine line that we need to see

them walk first of all we need to make

sure Israel has whatever they need when

they need it we need to make sure that

we eliminate Hamas and never take our

eye off the Target because going this

again and we need to get the hostages

home but do you think it's a bad deal to

pause the fight for two

months I think if Israel is willing to

pause then we should if Israel is not

willing to pause then we shouldn't they

are driving this train when they saw so

many people die on October 7th and they

hear Hamas saying they're going to do

this again Kristen when I was at the

United Nations I gave a speech five

years ago and it show it told the world

that there were Maps these Maps were

held by Hamas and it showed that if they

could break through the barrier this is

how they were going to kill as many

Jewish people as fast as they could that

happened I know there would be no Hamas

without Iran I know that they want to

eliminate Israel we've got to find a way

to protect Israelis and get those

hostages home this may work we have to

see but what we also have to do is not

take our eyes off of Hamas because

they're going to use this time to kill

more people and do more things to build

up their their military Ambassador I

want to ask you about something that

happened at your home in South Carolina

last month we're just learning about it

right now authorities responded to a

swatting call just for our audience

that's when a fake emergency call is

called in creating the possibility of a

really dangerous situation you were not

home at the time but but what was your

reaction what are the implications of

this happening

Ambassador well Kristen um I was not

home but but Michael and I take care of

my parents um they are 87 and 90 and we

take care of them and they were at home

and with their caregiver and so I will

tell you that the last thing you want is

to see multiple law forcement officials

with guns drawn pointing at my parents

and and thinking that something happened

it is a um it is an awful situation it

put the law enforcement officers in

danger it put um my family in danger and

you know it it was not a safe situation

and that goes to show the the chaos

that's surrounding our country right now

and the fact that these things are

happening and so look I'm not the only

one that's happened to um it wasn't the

first time I think we've had it happen

twice tce but I will tell you this that

I think that what's really important is

we have lived in a country of chaos for

quite a while now it is time that we

remember what normal felt like it is

time that we remember what healing feels

like it is time that we remember what

it's like not to have division not to

have hate we are Americans and we need

to remember how blessed we are just very

quickly and we have two more topics I

want to get to How concerned are you

about political violence right now over

all given what

happened I mean I think look I feel it

we've been um to town halls 150

something town halls there are things

that have happened I've had threats made

um it's what happens when you run for

president I can handle that that is not

the problem what I don't want is for my

kids to live like this that's the reason

I'm doing this is to have this Division

and not my husband is deployed right now

sacrificing for America with his

military brothers and sisters they are

doing that because they love this

country because they still believe in

this amazing experiment that is America

we have to go back to remember what it's

like to be Americans first that's the

biggest thing that's heartbreaking for

me is we're better than this our country

is better than this and the rest of the

world is looking at us wondering what

happened we've got to write this ship

we've got to get it back and I know we

can do it America has an amazing ability

to self correct sometimes we have to hit

rock bottom to know where up is we're

there we need to start looking up well

Ambassador Haley let me just ask you

looking forward if you do fall short if

you don't get the nomination you have

said before that being on a ticket with

Donald Trump is quote off the table let

me just ask you to put a fine point on

it have you completely ruled out being

Donald Trump's running

mate I have said I don't want to be

anyone's vice president I don't know how

more clear I can be anyone's vice

president you ruled it out Ambassador

I'm running for president I am I don't I

mean I think that's what I'm saying if I

say I don't want to be anyone's vice

president I think that's pretty clear

what I am telling you is I am going to

run and I am running to win and I think

the American people deserve better and I

think this is a time where the American

people need a lot of Courage we have

seen every general election poll Trump

does not beat Biden in a general

election we have seen that I defeat

Biden by double digits when you look at

that that's a mandate Kristen to go get

the wasteful spending out of control to

secure our border with no more excuses

to get our kids reading again that's

what we need to be doing would you rule

out endorsing him as a nominee you have

said before that you would support him

given your stepped up language you're

calling him unhinged would you rule out

indorsing him as a

nominee I'm not even thinking about

endorsements Kristen I know that y'all

want to talk about what happens if I'm

focused on defeating Donald Trump period

that's it I don't think past that that

I'm not thinking past South Carolina or

super Tuesday what I want to do is go

and save this country we have a country

to save I'm determined to do it y'all

can think forward I'm focused on the

sweet people of South Carolina and

making sure that we get them their

voices heard and we're going to work

this state as hard and as fast as we

ever have all right Ambassador Nikki

Haley thank you so much good luck out on

the campaign Trail stay safe we really

appreciate your joining us thanks for

watching stay updated about breaking

news and top stories on the end BC News

app or follow us on social media