President Trump on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley joining his 2020 reelection ticket, saying he will stick with Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate.
“I love Nikki. She’s endorsed me. She’s my friend. She’s a part of my campaign. But Mike has been a great vice president. He’s a hundred percent,” Trump said during a phone interview with Fox Business Network.
{mosads}The president said there are other roles for Haley to play on his campaign and beyond, saying, “There’s places for Nikki and Nikki’s future is good.”
Trump was asked about a Wall Street Journal column arguing Trump should swap Pence for Haley because she may help the president win over more female voters.
But the president reiterated that “Mike Pence is the person, a hundred percent,” saying “we won together” and citing his strong appeal to evangelical Christian voters.
“You can’t break up a team like that … And we get along well together,” Trump said.
Trump’s latest comments came after he told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Pence is staying on the ticket “100 percent.” But he did not address the possibility of Haley in part because the column ran after the interview was recorded.
Updated at 9:31 a.m.