Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley prioritised her support of former President Donald Trump over his sexual assault case and JD Vance’s misogyny, according to a new interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS News.
“Well, I think the focus for me is on policy,” the former South Carolina governor told Brennan after she asked about Trump speaking on writer E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault case against him. (Trump spent the majority of a press conference on Friday bashing the writer, who won two cases against him, rather than talking about politics.)
Moments later, Haley did not directly answer when asked if she thought Trump was a good candidate.
“I think he is the Republican nominee, and I think, put him against Kamala Harris, who’s the Democrat nominee. For me, it’s not a question,” said Haley, who also said that she’s “on standby” to campaign for Trump. ”Now, do I agree with his style? Do I agree with his approach? Do I agree with his communications? No. When I look at the policies and how they affect my family and how I think they’re going to affect the country, that’s where I go back and I look at the differences…But the reality is, she [Vice President Kamala Harris] has a record. The administration has a record. Trump has a record. And so neither are perfect. Neither are ideal.”
Brennan later asked Haley about Trump’s running mate, the controversial JD Vance: “He continues to say things that certainly are highlighted as being offensive to women. That is going to hurt, won’t it, with female voters?”
Haley responded by saying that Vance’s misogynistic remarks are “not helpful,” but that she personally chooses to look at “substance” over “style.”
“The substance is cutting taxes, making housing more affordable, immigration, national security. That’s the substance,” Haley said. “The style is, no, it is not helpful to talk about whether women have children or whether they don’t. It’s not helpful to say any of those things that are personality-driven or anything else. I have – I have said that.”
Haley, who worked as a UN ambassador under Trump, also said that she does not always agree with the former president, but that she prefers his policies over those of Vice President Kamala Harris. Brennan referred to her stance in support of Trump as “grading on a curve.”
Before dropping out of the presidential race in March, Haley was a staunch critic of Trump, claiming at one point that voting for him was “like suicide for our country.”