California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) took a swipe at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s ® standing in the GOP presidential primary during a debate Thursday on Fox News.
“This is just a reminder…It’s a question some people are probably asking — I know Nikki Haley’s campaign is asking: When are you going to drop out and at least give Nikki Haley a shot to take down Donald Trump in this nomination,” Newsom said. “She laid you out.”
“You wish,” DeSantis shot back.
Haley doesn’t want DeSantis to drop out or to face Trump head to head. She would then be a target, and she would alienate Trumpers still clinging to him like dingleberries.
She wants DeSantis in the race as a Trump-like surrogate she can use as a punching bag. She wants to present herself as the rational choice among irrational people. Nobody can beat Trump at the polls, at least not without completely blowing up the party.
So one of two things will happen:
Trump wins the nomination and chooses Haley as his running mate.
Trump is unavailable to be the nominee either because he’s in prison, he’s been kept off the ballot in court, or his health cannot hold up against the rigors of canpaigning. If that happens, Haley can step into the role and collect those dingleberries in her basket without ever saying a negative thing about Trump.
I don’t think Haley wants to be a trump VP. But maybe impression of her motives is way off.
I’m sure she’d rather be President, but I don’t see her attacking Trump directly, which anyone who is going to beat him in an election would need to do. Unfortunately for everyone, attacking Trump is political suicide for conservatives.