Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley endorsed Donald Trump’s campaign on Tuesday night during her speech at the Republican National Convention, marking a significant step towards unifying the party after a contentious primary season.
“I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” Haley declared.
With Trump watching from the VIP suite, Haley defended his foreign policy record and addressed voters who may have disagreements with him.
“There are some Americans who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100% of the time,” she said. “My message to them is simple: You don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”
Haley’s endorsement comes after a yearlong primary battle in which she urged GOP voters to avoid the “chaos” she associated with Trump. Despite their past tensions, Haley released her delegates last week and encouraged them to support Trump. Her appearance at the convention was a last-minute addition, coinciding with an assassination attempt on Trump and his call for unity.
Unity was a central theme of the night. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking after Haley, urged Republicans to rally behind Trump.
“Donald Trump, he’s been demonized. He’s been sued. He’s been prosecuted. And he nearly lost his life,” DeSantis said. “We cannot let him down, and we cannot let America down.”