Sarah Matthews, former spokeswoman for former President Trump, criticized former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for choosing to “bend the knee” and vote for her former boss.
“She was gaining momentum and really could have been, perhaps in a post-Trump Republican Party, the leader, but instead, she chooses to bend the knee, kiss the ring, like every other Republican seems to do,” Matthews said Sunday in an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
“I mean, Donald Trump said it best, they always bend the knee and that’s just disappointing, but then again, it’s not surprising,” she added, referring to the former president’s comments after securing the majority leader’s endorsement in the House, Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) in January.
Haley, who mounted the most successful challenge to Trump and outlasted all other GOP primary candidates, said last week that she will vote for the former president over President Biden in November.
Since then, several former Trump aides and Republicans have criticized her for the decision. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said he had “no backbone” for his pick, while former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called it “pathetic.”
Matthews was among some of the most vocal former Trump supporters who wanted to see Haley face Biden in the fall.
Many argued that her decision to support Trump, someone she harshly criticized throughout her campaign and was the target of his attacks, was made to secure her political future. Even with his announcement last week, Matthews isn’t sure Trump’s fan base would support the former ambassador.
She also noted that she never expected Haley to support Biden outwardly, but she could have refused to support the former president.
“She criticized Donald Trump repeatedly,” Matthews said. “It goes back to 2016 and it has changed several times.”
“And so, I think they already rejected her,” she added, referring to the former president’s supporters.
Haley, who suspended her campaign in March, initially refused to give her endorsement to the presumptive Republican nominee. Instead, she said Trump would have to win the support of his voters.
His announcement last week was largely seen as a reversal.
Matthews argued that Haley’s supporters were “very excited” to see her challenge Trump. But, she added, it’s unknown whether these voters will follow her lead and throw their support behind the former president — or turn away from him altogether.
Haley’s decision, the former Trump aide said, “creates this permission structure for these types of normie Republicans to follow.”
“And… in an election that will be decided on the margins, even if it’s not a majority of those supporters, just having those few who might end up following suit and supporting Donald Trump could make a difference in some of those key states of the battlefield,” she added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
