How Nikki Haley Shut Down Rumors She Had An Affair With Donald Trump
Making her bid for the White House in 2024 wasn't Nikki Haley's first rodeo when it comes to weathering stormy political hearsay. In fact, the former South Carolina governor hit back hard at swirling rumors of an alleged affair with former President Donald Trump. The rumor that she was involved with the former president was sparked by journalist Michael Wolff's 2018 release, "Fire and Fury."
In the inflammatory book, Wolff alleged that Haley and Trump had been spending quite a bit of one-on-one time together. Readers put two and two together after Wolff stated that his book contained clues about an affair that occurred in the White House, per CNN. Despite the White House dismissing Wolff's book as a "phony" compilation of lies, the rumor mill kept on churning. Haley quickly slammed the rumors on Politico's "Women Rule" podcast, using the opportunity to shed light on the broader challenges faced by women in powerful positions.
"...I've noticed that if you speak your mind and you're strong about it and you say what you believe, there is a small percentage of people that resent that," she said. "And the way they deal with it is to try and throw arrows — lies or not — to diminish you." Haley said that she wouldn't let the speculation get to her head. Instead, she aimed to set her sights on a bigger goal: the presidency.
Nikki Haley has mixed feelings about Trump
Before she decided to challenge him in the 2024 election, Nikki Haley had a long track record of criticizing Donald Trump. Haley refused to endorse Trump early in his first campaign run. "Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk," she told Today in 2016, referring to his legacy of misinformation. Despite these reservations, Haley readily joined Trump's administration, becoming the first woman of color to attain a senior position in his cabinet. Haley represented the United States as an Ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018.
After she left Trump's administration, she remained active in Republican politics. After the Capitol riots in 2021, Haley once again urged the GOP to move on from Trump's dangerous leadership. However, in a confusing turn of events, she later retracted her disapproval of the controversial president. "We need him in the Republican party. I don't want us to go back to the days before Trump," Haley told the Wall Street Journal.
Haley has made it a point to emphasize the importance of her former boss' influence within the party, while at the same time criticizing his missteps. As a hopeful in the 2024 presidential election, it seems Haley has once again turned on Trump who is her main competitor for the Republican nomination. Despite his indictment in civil and federal court cases, prison time still couldn't stop Trump from running.
Nikki Haley and Trump battle for the presidency
At a packed November 2023 town hall in South Carolina, Nikki Haley maintained her lukewarm sentiments toward Donald Trump while boldly criticizing his potential return to the White House. The former ambassador is determined to maintain favor with voters, navigating the delicate balance of acknowledging Trump's influence while championing her own viability as president. At the event, Haley went out on a limb and made a bold statement about Trump, who is still highly favored by Republican voters.
"I agree with a lot of his policies, but the truth is, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him," Haley said, per the Associated Press. "We have too much division in this country, and too many threats around the world to be sitting in chaos once again." Despite Haley's careful words, the feud between her and Trump has only intensified. The former president even labeled Haley a "puppet GOP candidate" in a fundraising email, reported News Nation. This low blow was brought on by Trump's anger at Haley gaining favor with conservative endorsers.
On Truth Social, a right-wing social media platform, Trump continued to disparage Haley in a rant. "...[They] have decided to back Nikki "Birdbrain" Haley over Ron DeSanctimonious, a minor hit for Ron," Trump's post read. "...They are bad for our Country, and so is a very weak and ineffective Birdbrain, who still says that 'President Trump was a GREAT President, I will never run against him.' She's down 50 Points, she better start running FAST!"