Trump says Haley is ‘not under consideration’ for VP slot

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday shot down reports that he was weighing Nikki Haley as his running mate.

“Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump threw cold water on the idea after Axios reported Saturday morning that his campaign was actively considering Haley to help the former president in his bid to win back the White House, both by attracting college-educated voters and helping repair his fundraising disadvantage with President Joe Biden. But the relationship between Trump and Haley has remained icy since the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor dropped out of the race after Super Tuesday.

Haley has yet to endorse Trump and has continued to pick up notable support in primary races, most recently capturing more than 21 percent of votes in Indiana’s primary and nearly 17 percent in Pennsylvania. Her steadfast voters could play a key role in determining the presidential election in November, yet there’s been little effort from the Trump campaign to pick up her supporters. For his part, Trump still hasn’t reached out to Haley since she left the race.

The jockeying for Trump’s No. 2 spot has been ramping up in recent weeks, with vice presidential hopefuls — Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik — hitting the airwaves as they vie to be Trump’s running mate. The former president has also been weighing the contenders for Cabinet positions while watching closely to see how they perform with crowds during rally appearances.

In Charleston next week, Haley is set to meet with donors who supported her campaign as a “thank you.” Haley is not expected to endorse Trump, nor is she expected to ask her donors to support him.

Haley, when exiting the race, said it was up to Trump to win the support of moderate Republicans and independent voters who backed her across the country. The Biden campaign has continued to seize on Haley’s support as an example of Trump’s trouble in the suburbs and has tried to reel in these subsets of voters.

After Haley picked up support in Pennsylvania’s suburbs, the Biden campaign dropped a six-figure TV and digital ad buy across several counties, targeting Haley voters with an ad featuring Trump attacking his former U.N. ambassador and her supporters. Top campaign officials are also still working to recruit major Haley donors.