MILWAUKEE (AP) – Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley will speak Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in what will be a highly anticipated speech from the former president donald trumpis the last major challenger in this year’s Republican primary.
The announcement on Sunday came a day after a gunman opened fire at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what authorities are investigating as an assassination attempt. Trump said the top of his right ear was pierced in the shooting.
Haley, who was also twice elected governor of South Carolina, was added to the lineup after initially not being on the speaker list, according to Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton. The time change was confirmed by a Republican official who is familiar with the convention’s plans but was not authorized to speak publicly.
Denton said last week that the former South Carolina governor was not invited to the convention, but Haley instructed his delegates to vote for Trump and made a public call for party unity.
During the primaries, Haley accused Trump of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. She did not support him when he dropped out in early March, instead waiting more than two months before saying she planned to vote for him.
Trump, in turn, has repeatedly mocked her with the nickname “Birdbrain,” though he curbed his criticism after securing enough delegates in March to become the presumptive Republican nominee.
