Nikki Haley ended her presidential campaign. Will she endorse Donald Trump or stay silent?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Nikki Haley's presidential campaign is over. Now she has a choice to make.

The former South Carolina governor could fully endorse Donald Trump, continue to oppose him publicly, or find some middle ground in between as the 2024 race for the White House rages on.

These are all options that could conceivably play a role in a general election rematch between Trump and Joe Biden. While Haley didn't garner enough GOP support to defeat her former boss, she did mobilize a slice of moderate, traditional Republicans who don't want to back the former president in November. If she eventually supports Trump, or continues to bash him, those voters could follow.

Her next moves could also determine whether Haley remains a force in Republican politics looking ahead to the 2028 election. If she isolates swaths of the GOP in the coming months, will she be able to regain their support in the future?

In holding off on endorsing Trump in her withdrawal speech on Wednesday, Haley said her path forward actually depends on his choices.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that," Haley said.

Pressure from Trump

Trump and his allies are already pressuring Haley to get with the program, lest they blame her for dividing the Republican Party ahead of a close general election.

Trump himself wasn’t exactly magnanimous after Haley’s withdrawal from the race.

“Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

On Super Tuesday, Haley only defeated Trump in Vermont, where voters don't necessarily have to participate in their party's primary.

The former president did get around to inviting Haley voters to back him after her exit, saying Biden is their mutual “enemy.”

That sentiment is playing out behind the scenes too. Trump campaign aides are concerned about exit polls showing that a significant numbers of Haley backers will not support the ex-president in the general election.

However small, the Haley cohort could well make the difference in closely contested battleground states like North Carolina and Michigan. Those are the kinds of states that often decide the winner of the Electoral College.

A middle road?

Still, Haley's prominent Republican supporters are urging her to hold off of an endorsement.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications director for Trump who's now one of his most vocal critics, advised Haley not to endorse. She argued that too many Republicans have passed up the chance to address the dangers of another Trump presidency.

"Truly sad to see the GOP once again line up behind Trump," she said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. "Even more sad: Trump very well may be POTUS again. Elected Republicans had a chance to be honest with the public about the election lies and weren’t."

Sarah Matthews, once a spokeswoman for the Trump White House, also said Haley should not back the former president. If Haley declines to endorse, and Trump loses, “she gets to be the person to say, ‘Look, I tried to warn you guys he was going to lose,’" Matthews said. "If Trump loses in November, it’s possible the party will finally move on from him — and perhaps Haley could emerge to lead the GOP in a new direction.”

Haley isn't the first Republican to face this choice. Previous defeated candidates in her position have taken a hybrid approach to dealing with the presumptive nominee.

For example, during the 2000 Republican primaries, John McCain waited and then somewhat tepidly endorsed presumptive candidate George W. Bush.

McCain didn't work all that hard for Bush in 2000, but the Texas governor still went on to become a two-term president, and McCain became the Republican presidential nominee in 2008.

When Trump raced to the GOP nomination in 2016, defeated Republican opponent Ted Cruz held off on full-throated support as he negotiated a prime speaking slot at that year's convention.

In his convention speech, Cruz asked delegates to vote their consciences, earning boos and taunts from the pro-Trump crowd.

Biden woos Haley voters

As Haley decides how to proceed, her voters are being courted by another candidate: Biden.

In a statement following Haley's withdrawal, Biden said she "was willing to speak the truth about Trump" and "the chaos that always follows him."

In soliciting Haley voters Biden said "there is a place for them in my campaign" even though "I know there is a lot we won’t agree on."

"But," he added, "on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground."

In the coming months, Haley has several choices to make about her political future. But after she dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, many of her supporters will also have a tough choice in November: Will they find another candidate to back at the ballot box, or will they simply stay home?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki's choice: Haley ponders whether to back Donald Trump or keep quiet