Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R) criticized former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s recent announcement that she would vote for former President Trump in November.
“Well, I would say, in some ways, it’s to be expected,” Sanford responded to the news in an interview on “CNN NewsNight.” “And what I mean by that is that ambition kills a lot of things.”
“And what we have here is someone obviously wanting to be relevant in 2028,” he added.
The comments came after Haley, who suspended her bid for the White House in early March, said Wednesday that she would support Trump over President Biden. The former UN ambassador had previously refused to support the former president, saying it was up to Trump to win the support of his followers.
Despite clashes with the former president during the campaign, Haley signaled that her decision was based on her distaste for Biden’s policies.
“As a voter, I place my priorities on a president who will have the support of our allies and hold our enemies accountable, who will secure the border, no more excuses,” she said during remarks at the conservative Hudson Institute, where she serves as president of the Walter P. Stern. “A president who would support capitalism and freedom, a president who understands that we need less debt, not more debt.”
“Trump has not been perfect in these policies. I have made this clear many, many times. But Biden was a catastrophe. So I will vote for Trump,” Haley added.
Throughout the GOP presidential primary season, Trump viciously pursued Haley, giving her the nickname “Bird Brain” and constantly joked about where her military husband was during his campaign. Michael Haley, who serves in the South Carolina National Guard, was deployed overseas during the early days of the election cycle.
In Wednesday’s interview, Sanford told host Abby Phillip that Haley was also looking at what could benefit her political future, saying she was “absolutely putting ambition first.”
“And she’s doing the middle calculation and the political calculation of ‘What’s going to help me most if I want to run again?’” said Sanford, who has been an outspoken critic of the former president.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) also criticized Haley on Wednesday for supporting his former rival, calling the decision “pathetic.”
“Not a surprise, but: pathetic,” he wrote.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
