Nikki Haley dismisses speculation that she could replace Mike Pence as vice president
Nikki Haley dismissed speculation that she could replace Vice President Mike Pence on the presidential ticket in 2020, decrying "false rumors" in a tweet on Wednesday. The former U.N. ambassador has previously assured the public that she would not challenge President Trump in a primary in 2020, and this latest tweet comes after Mr. Trump affirmed that he intends to keep Pence on the ticket.
"Enough of the false rumors. Vice President Pence has been a dear friend of mine for years. He has been a loyal and trustworthy VP to the President. He has my complete support," Haley wrote in what appeared to be an unprompted tweet. The tweet included a picture of her and Pence at the United Nations.
Enough of the false rumors. Vice President Pence has been a dear friend of mine for years. He has been a loyal and trustworthy VP to the President. He has my complete support. ❤️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/waPyQjC8Eb
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 21, 2019
Rumors have circulated in the past that Haley might replace Pence on the ticket. Haley left the administration last year.
Mr. Trump told reporters this week that he was "very happy" with Pence and called him an "outstanding VP."
"I think that he has been incredible in terms of the love that a lot of people, especially if you look at the evangelicals and so many the others, they really have a great respect for the vice president, and so do I. And so do I think most people," Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday. He also said that speculation about changing vice presidents was "standard" for any administration.
"Everybody thought that President Obama was going to change Biden. They thought second term, he was going to change that. Everybody thought that, but he didn't do that. But no, I'm very happy with Mike Pence," Mr. Trump continued.
Mr. Trump addressed rumors that Haley could replace Pence in an interview with Fox Business Network in June.
"I love Nikki. She's endorsed me. She's my friend. She's part of my campaign, but Mike has been a great vice president," Mr. Trump said. "I love Nikki and there are places for Nikki, and Nikki's future is great, but Mike Pence is the person, 100%. We won together. We have tremendous evangelical support. You can't break up a team like that."