Nikki Haley said Thursday that she wasn't surprised that President Biden dropped out of the race and “never thought” he would be the eventual Democratic nominee.
CNN's Jake Tapper asked Haley, who ran for the Republican nomination in 2024 before ultimately endorsing Donald Trump, what she thought about Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race. Haley memorably called for Biden to take a mental competency test in February and predicted he wouldn't be able to finish a hypothetical second term.
“I wasn't surprised by it and I wasn't happy about it. I mean, I think I fought for mental competency testing throughout the campaign. I didn't do it to be disrespectful or to be mean. I did it because I think it's not just about Joe Biden,” Haley responded.
He continued: “We have a problem in DC: people take office and don't let go, and then their employees and their families continue to support them. And it's a problem for the American people. So I never thought it would make it to the election. I've always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, and I think that's what's happening.”
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Nikki Haley previously said during her presidential campaign that a Joe Biden presidency would mean a Kamala Harris presidency. (Fox News)
However, despite criticizing Democrats, he suggested that fielding a younger candidate than former President Trump could benefit them in the race.
“The Democrats are very smart in putting forward a younger candidate. I think that's what America was longing for, but I think what you're seeing is that they put forward the weakest candidate they could put forward,” Haley said.
Haley repeatedly argued throughout her campaign that everyone was aware of Biden's mental decline before the election.
“And let's be very clear, if you think President Biden is going to vote for him, you're actually going to vote for President Harris,” Haley told “Fox & Friends” in 2023. “We're up against Kamala Harris. Make no mistake about it. The New York Times knows it. Every liberal knows it. They know that Kamala Harris is going to end up being president of the United States if Joe Biden wins this election.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris was quickly endorsed by President Biden to be the next Democratic nominee after he dropped out of the race. (Fake Images)
Biden officially dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday with a statement about X. He subsequently endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee, and she quickly consolidated his support and became the de facto nominee.
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