Nikki Haley released a new book in which she defended Donald Trump and said she has no questions about his honesty. She also said the former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly asked her to undermine the president. Never Trumpers and anti-Trumpers jumped on her as a liar and a scoundrel saying she’s squandered her legacy. In fact, she’s now heir apparent, at least for the moment.
While some people believe she’s destroyed her reputation, Haley’s really positioned herself quite well. Trump needs supporters desperately right now, especially ones with a shred of credibility since so many of his defenders, like Lindsey Graham, have already destroyed their own. Trump’s supporters will hail her as a hero willing to stand up to an establishment determined to bring down the president at any cost. They make up more than 60% of the Republican Party.
On the other side of Haley, movement conservatives and Never Trumpers like Bill Kristol and Jonah Goldberg have set up a network of conservative outlets that both bash Trump and push more conservative policies. They see themselves as a kind of party-in-exile, waiting for the Trump regime to implode. Unfortunately, they’ve got very little influence anymore. Trump has exposed the thin veneer of the Reagan Revolution’s ideological underpinning. Support was always based more on cultural elements than a commitment to movement conservatism.
Haley is the one who has positioned herself as Trump’s successor. Her defense of the president will keep the Trump believers with her and the more reasonable Republicans who might be embarrassed or disgusted with Trump won’t hold the prevarications against her. Lying has never been a big liability in politics unless it’s part of a coverup. Haley’s just kissing up to Trump supporters by telling them what they want to hear. She might be self-serving, but she’s not stupid.
Some speculate that Trump will replace Pence with Haley on the ticket in 2020. It would certainly be in character. Pence brings nothing to the race and has served his purpose. He brought the evangelical community to Trump and now they’re more loyal to Trump than Pence. Haley could do the same with a sliver of suburban women, building a powerful constituency for Trump. Regardless, she’s in a better position to lead the new Trumpist GOP than most of the other Republicans who’ve remained loyal to Trump. And Trump has yet to make her debase herself. If he needs her enough, maybe he never will.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
The lie count on Trump had passed 13,000 by the time Nikki Haley was asked the question: “Do you think he lies?” Haley said that Trump tells the truth.
Either Nikki Haley is constitutionally unable to know when she is being lied to, or she is lying about knowing that Trump is a liar. As far as anyone knows, Mexico has never sent the check; a judge ruled that Trump must return the money he took from his fraudulent charity and never operate a charity in New York again. Instead of using the donations for children suffering from cancer, he spent the money on himself including a portrait of himself which hangs at his New Jersey golf course. Another judge ordered that Trump must return $25 million he received from his fraudulent Trump University. The naked eye could observe that the wall has not been built. He has never told the truth about the Mueller investigation, and he may have committed perjury, which, at one time, was considered a crime. He wrote checks to Stormy Daniels. I have a copy. He wrote a check to another mistress. The 20 women who alleged sexual assault were, according to Trump, lying, even though he admitted sexually assaulting women. If not these women, which women did he assault, other than his first wife? The lies he tells he repeats over and over.
If Nikki Haley cannot see plain truth, she is absolutely unqualified for any leadership role of any kind. If she sees the truth and chooses to deny it, America already has enough of scumbags. We need fewer of them. We do not need another.