Prior to the first debate, all Republican candidates were required to sign a loyalty pledge with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to participate.
Nikki Haley is now going back on that pledge because the only candidate remaining is Donald Trump, who did not sign the pledge.
Talking Points…
- Commitment pledge
- Haley walks pledge back
- Analysis
As part of the qualification process for debates, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel required all candidates participating in the debates to sign a loyalty pledge. There were some gripes for sure, especially since they all knew they were fighting for second place. There was also the fact that Trump had openly stated that he would not sign the pledge because there were candidates in the race that he would not support.
Trump stated:
“Why would I sign it? I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
Trump did not name the people he would not support, but most assumed it was, at the very least, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, and possibly even Ron DeSantis. This became a topic of debate throughout the election season, with some candidates wavering in supporting Trump since he refused to show his support for the party nominee if it was not him.
With Nikki Haley now the last candidate standing against Trump, she has walked back her loyalty pledge. During an interview this weekend, Haley suggested that since leadership in the RNC is about to change, she is no longer bound by that loyalty pledge.
Haley stated:
“At the time of the debate, we had to take it. The RNC is now not the same RNC.”
When she was further pressed specifically about backing Trump as the candidate, she added:
“No, I think I’ll make what decision I want to make, but that’s not something I’m thinking about.”
Haley has been fairly open over the last week or so that she does not support Trump getting a free pass on these cases that have been filed against him. However, she has also stated that if Trump were found guilty, she would pardon him so the country could move forward and put all this in the rearview mirror.
Haley also knows she would never get the support of the never-Trump camp if she winds up backing Trump on the ticket, so this was a big move by her before Super Tuesday to try to lock down some of those undecided votes to try to steal a state or two against Trump. This is definitely a Hail Mary on her part because she is trailing Trump in polling in every state that votes tomorrow.
