Nikki Haley is slated to attend a fundraiser in Iowa on Thursday, prompting fresh speculation that the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is eyeing her own presidential bid in 2024.
Haley, also the former governor of South Carolina, will join Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in the Hawkeye State for a fundraiser on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the planning.
Also on Thursday, Haley is scheduled to attend the Feenstra family picnic, hosted by Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra (R). The congressman announced Haley’s attendance last month, writing on Twitter “From standing up to China to promoting our American values, she served our country with integrity & vision at home & abroad.”
Haley is also spending time in Iowa on Wednesday, attending the Iowa Republican Party’s Dubuque Regional Reception. Additionally, she will join Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) for an event in Davenport, Iowa, on Wednesday, according to another person familiar with the planning.
The former ambassador’s time in Iowa fuels speculation of a potential 2024 run, as presidential hopefuls commonly visit the first-in-the-nation caucus state before the campaign kicks off.
In April 2021, Haley said she would not run for president if former President Trump decides to launch another bid for the White House.
“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she said at a press conference at the time. “That’s something that we’ll have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made.”
The former U.N. ambassador did, however, find herself up against the ex-president earlier this month, when the two GOP figures backed different candidates in a Republican House primary. Haley endorsed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) for reelection, while Trump backed her challenger, Katie Arrington.
Trump became frustrated with Mace after she criticized him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The incumbent, however, ultimately won the race.
Haley criticized Trump after the Capitol riot, telling Politico in an interview that he “let us down.”
“He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again,” she added.
Months after, however, Haley said she would not run for president if Trump mounted another bid for the White House.
This week does not mark the first time Haley is spending time in Iowa. Last June, she delivered remarks at the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner, which is known to be a large fundraising event for the state party. The gathering typically attracts Republican figures who are eyeing presidential bids.
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