Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has vowed that her crumbling presidential campaign was not over, despite trailing way behind former President Donald Trump by more than 50 points in the RealClearPolitics average.
During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead”,” Haley was asked about RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel who suggested she needed to drop out of the race.
“I absolutely think it was inappropriate,” Haley said.
“We have had two states that have voted. You need 1,215 delegates. Donald Trump has 32. I have 17. We still have 48 states and more territories to go before we get there.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Jake,” she continued.
“I’m going to continue to go all the way through South Carolina. Then we’re going to go on to Super Tuesday, and we’re going to keep on going forward,” she said.
“This is about the fact that we can’t live in chaos anymore.”
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As we reported last month, two major donors jumped ship from Haley’s campaign.
Billionaire LinkedIn founder and Epstein Island visitor Reid Hoffman was the first to close his wallet on Haley.
Hoffman said that donating to Haley was worth it to stop Trump because America would “survive'” her presidency.
Meanwhile, prominent GOP donor Andy Sabin also dumped Haley after contributing $1.7 million to GOP campaigns over three cycles.
Sabin explained to Fox News why he needed to get out.
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GOP donor Andy Sabin to Neil: It's time for Nikki Haley to walk away pic.twitter.com/2HKZsSvm2X
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) January 24, 2024
“Haley needs to drop out. Regardless of what anyone tells you, her money is going to dry up. Why would you fund someone who you know has no chance?” Sabin said.
“You have to know when to hold them. You got to know when to fold them. You got to know when to walk away. It’s time for Nikki Haley to walk away,” he added.
Below is the transcript from Haley’s interview with CNN:
JAKE TAPPER: Did you think it was inappropriate when the RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel, suggested that you need to drop out because she didn’t see a path for you?
NIKKI HALEY: I absolutely think it was inappropriate. We have had two states that have voted. You need 1,215 delegates. Donald Trump has 32. I have 17. We still have 48 states and more territories to go before we get there.
I’m not going anywhere, Jake. I’m going to continue to go all the way through South Carolina. Then we’re going to go on to Super Tuesday, and we’re going to keep on going forward. This is about the fact that we can’t live in chaos anymore. This is about the fact that we have got to focus on what it’s going to take to not just get our domestic policy on track, but what are we going to do to prevent wars and to make sure we keep Americans safe?
We can’t do that with the two guys there. Americans are telling people that. We need to start listening and make sure that we focus on what it takes to win a primary, so that we can get our country back on track.
TAPPER: So you’re committed to staying through — staying in the race through Super Tuesday, no matter what happens in South Carolina?
HALEY: We’re moving.
I mean, what I will tell you in South Carolina is, we’re going to close that gap. My goal is to be more competitive in South Carolina. It’s always been to build on momentum. We started with 2 percent in Iowa. We ended with 20 percent. We went into New Hampshire. We got 43 percent. In South Carolina, we want to get even more competitive than that.
And then we will go into Michigan and we will go into Super Tuesday. We have a country to save. I’m not going anywhere, because I don’t want my kids to live like this. I don’t want anybody else’s kids to live like this. We have been in total distraction for a long time.
And we know that, when America’s distracted, the world is less safe. And all you have to do is look around the world and see that. I’m going to stay in this for the long haul, because I think it’s important and I know that we need to get this done.
WATCH: Steve Bannon Unloads on Haley: ‘Vessel’ for the Murdochs, Democrats
