Nikki Haley, the former Ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina, has made no secret of her support for President Donald Trump’s re-election. However, recently she’s been re-emphasizing a different message: that the 2020 presidential election shouldn’t be about Trump, but rather, his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.
During an address at the Republican National Convention, Haley said: “It’s not about Donald Trump at all; it’s about the issues and the direction we are taking the country. We have to make sure that people understand who Kamala Harris is and what she stands for.”
Haley has gone on to stress that Harris’ proposed policies would “endanger” the American way of life. On top of that, the former ambassador’s rhetoric has become more and more focused on Harris’ record as both a U.S. senator and California attorney general.
At the RNC, Haley said: “Let’s talk about Kamala Harris’ record. She wants to make it about Donald Trump, but it’s not. It’s about her pattern of failure.”
As for why the former governor feels that the election should be framed as a choice between Trump and Harris, and not just a referendum on Trump’s incumbency, she has offered some explanation. During an interview with Fox News, she said: “I believe any election is about the future, not what’s happened in the past. The American people don’t want to go backward, they want to go forward. And, when you look at Kamala Harris’ record, I would not want her to go forward with the policies she’s proposed.”
Haley has continued to hammer home this message in the days since her RNC address. Whether her efforts will be successful remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Haley is determined to make sure that the 2020 presidential election is not only about Donald Trump, but about Kamala Harris as well.
