Joe Biden on Oct. 2, 2023; Nikki Haley on Jan. 29, 2024.Photo:Kevin Dietsch/Getty, Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Kevin Dietsch/Getty, Dia Dipasupil/Getty
PresidentJoe Bidenis looking to bridge the divide between himself and supporters ofNikki Haley.
Upon the former South Carolina governor’s announcement that she isdropping out of the Republican presidential primarieson Wednesday morning, Bidenreleased a statementinviting her fans into his flock.
“It takes a lot of courage to run for President — that’s especially true in today’s Republican Party,” Biden said, highlighting how “so few dare to speak the truth aboutDonald Trump.”
But, he added, “Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering beforeVladimir Putin.”
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters,” Biden continued. “I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.”
President Joe Biden walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 16, 2024.Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Anna Moneymaker/Getty
After the New Hampshire primary election in January, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to threaten Haley’s supporters for continuing to back her presidential bid.
“Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country,” the former presidentwrote, before saying that from that point forward, anyone who donates to her campaign “will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”
“We don’t want them, and will not accept them,” Trump added, “because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”
Haley’s campaign attracted anti-Trump Republicans looking for a more stable candidate. Now that she’s out of the race, questions remain about whether her supporters will warm up to Trump’s extremism before November, or whether they will stick to their convictions and vote for Biden or a third-party candidate in the general election.
Donald Trump speaks at a New Hampshire election night event on Jan. 23, 2024.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
In Biden’s statement to Haley voters on Wednesday, he acknowledged that there will be “a lot we won’t agree on.”
“But 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,” he said, “I hope and believe we can find common ground.”
“We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn’t be higher. I know that Democrats and Republicans and Independents disagree on many issues and hold strong convictions. That’s a good thing. That’s what America stands for,” Biden concluded. “I also know this: what unites Democrats and Republicans and Independents is a love for America.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign after Super Tuesday.Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty
Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty
“I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets,” Haley added.
Later in her speech, she conceded, “In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the party nominee.”
While Haley wished him well, she did not outright endorse Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and instead quoted late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: “Never just follow the crowd, always make up your own mind.”
source: people.com
