Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, former ambassador to the United Nations and a former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, told the Republican National Convention on Tuesday she was behind Donald Trump as the party nominee.
"President Trump asked me to speak to this convention in the name of unity. It was a gracious invitation and I was happy to accept. I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period."
"Our country is at a critical moment," Haley said. "If we have four more years of President Biden or a single day of [current Vice President Kamala] Harris, our country will be badly worse off. For the sake of our nation, we have to go with Donald Trump."
"You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him. Take it from me, I haven't always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree," said Haley.
Haley, who ran against Trump for the nomination before suspending her campaign in March, released her 97 delegates from the primaries in July ahead of the convention.
“The nominating convention is a time for Republican unity," she said in a statement announcing the release. "Joe Biden is not competent to serve a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America. We need a president who will hold our enemies to account, secure our border, cut our debt, and get our economy back on track. I encourage my delegates to support Donald Trump next week in Milwaukee."
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On Tuesday Haley called on Republicans to expand their party, including by bringing in people with diverse backgrounds.
"No president can fix all of our problems alone. We have to do this together. America has an amazing ability to self-correct. In this moment, we have a chance to put aside our differences and focus on what unites us and strengthens our country," she said.
