Nikki Haley announced on Wednesday that she will vote for former President Trump in November. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations did so as she delivered a speech blasting the Biden administration's handling of foreign policy.

Haley and Trump frequently were at odds over issues during the Republican primary and foreign policy was one of those areas. Haley is more war-hawkish than Trump, which sometimes causes friction. 

I never doubted that Haley would vote for Trump when the time comes. Despite what some critics claim, Haley is a solid Republican. She may be more old-school Republican than today's MAGA Republicans but she was always going to vote for the Republican nominee. She just hoped that it would be her. 

So, it's a bit awkward now for the anti-Trumpers who have been courting Nikki Haley voters. Republicans who won't vote for Trump and Biden supporters who are trying to sway Haley voters to Dementia Joe are out of luck. Haley voters shouldn't be brushed off as non-consequential. They continue to vote for her in primary races where she is on the ballot, though she suspended her campaign months ago. 

In the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, Haley received 6.4% of the vote. 

Haley mentioned that Trump should reach out to her voters and secure their support. 

“Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me, and not assume that they’re just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that,” Haley said in an appearance at the Hudson Institute.

She called Trump “not perfect” on national security but said Biden has been “a catastrophe.”

She's right. Biden has been a catastrophe. Not long after he entered the White House, his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan began his decline in polling and he has not recovered since then. Putin isn't afraid of him and proved it by invading Ukraine. Hamas isn't afraid of him and massacred Jews and others in Israel on October 7, 2023, the highest number of Jewish deaths since the Holocaust. All the while, Biden kowtows to Iran. 

Haley was particularly critical of Biden's decision to halt munitions transfers to Israel in their time of need. It is Biden throwing Israel under the bus and trying to micromanage the war. 

“Those weapons are important for defeating Hamas,” Haley said. “Withholding them validates the totally false and destructive narrative that Israel is acting unjustly by defending herself.”

She said that the suspension of arms sales will embolden attacks on Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East; make allies “question whether they can ever trust what America says”; push Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan toward Russia and China; and embolden Russia to continue its invasion of Ukraine and China to attack Taiwan and U.S. allies.

“Biden has given Iran nothing but cash and time. Cash and time it used to strengthen its terrorist proxies,” Haley continued. “Cash and time it used to get to the brink of a nuclear bomb.”

Haley's support of Trump is a big move. It shows the Republican Party is united. It is a death blow to the Never Trumpers who cheer for Republican division. It shines a light on how horrible the Biden years have been and the division in the Democrat Party. 

I would have liked for Haley to have made this announcement sooner but she did it Wednesday and that's ok. 

Why did she do it? I think she is smart enough to know she had to publicly make her declaration to vote for Trump because she isn't ready to give up on running for president again. She has to show she can bring the party together. She is giving her supporters cover to vote for Trump now. 

Should Trump ask her to be his running mate? I'm still mulling that over. Would she consider doing that? You betcha. If asked, she would accept. If she was Trump's running mate and if he won in November, she'd be in perfect position for 2028. 

Should Trump invite her to come and kiss the ring in a private meeting before the convention? Remember how potential members of his cabinet came to meet with him at his golf club in New Jersey in 2016? He'll probably be doing that again. It was Trump who chose her to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. 

Most importantly, this opens up the possibility of Haley speaking in a prime-time spot during the Republican convention. All eyes would be on Nikki. That is a big consolation prize. It would be important to her supporters to see her as a team player. 

I don't know if she wants to be vice president or have a cabinet position in a second Trump administration. I do think she isn't ready to retire from politics. She is only 52. She is a spring chicken compared to the two men running for president. It would be great entertainment to see her debate Kamala. 

Most importantly, this is a hit to Team Biden's organizing efforts toward a Republicans for Biden group in the battleground states, complete with its own dedicated staff and resources. Heh. The last thing Biden's campaign wanted was Haley's public announcement during her first speech since she suspended her campaign. Trump's not perfect but he's light-years better than Biden. Haley did what she needed to do.