One-time Donald Trump challenger Nikki Haley tiptoed through a minefield of questions about former President Trump’s record of sexual misconduct in a teaser clip released Friday of her upcoming appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation.
Interviewer Margaret Brennan pressed Haley on Trump’s Friday press conference, in which he blamed his lawyers for the verdicts in two lawsuits brought against him by the journalist E. Jean Carroll—which found him guilty of sexual abuse and defamation to the tune of some $88 million in damages—and again denied knowing who Carroll even was.
“I think the focus, for me, is on policy,” Haley said. “I’ve always said if I thought Biden or Trump were great candidates I wouldn’t run for president. I ran because I thought I could do a better job,” the former South Carolina Governor and Trump’s (first) ambassador to the United Nations continued.
The opportunity for a follow-up question was clear: “So you don’t think he’s a good candidate?” Brennan asked of Trump.
“I think he is the Republican nominee… put him against Kamala Harris, who is the Democrat nominee, (and) for me, it’s not a question,” Haley responded, before adding a pointed qualification. “Do I agree with his style? Do I agree with his approach? Do I agree with his communications? No.”
Haley, who was the last holdout against Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, told Brennan that she hasn’t been tapped by her former rival for a role in his campaign, but is “on standby.”
“I talked to him back in June. He’s aware that I’m ready if he ever needs me to do that,” Haley added. Trump told reporters in May that Haley is “a very capable person, and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form.”
Whether this interview changes his opinion is yet to be determined.
