Haley, Name Difference in Approach to Trump as 2024 Jockeying Begins

Although the two women have similarities in their political biographies – both were the first female governors of their states after serving in the legislative civil service – how they met Mr. Trump perished and his legacy forms their early position in the prospective presidential field.

Mrs. Haley, a South Carolinas who was a critic of Mr. Trump, before becoming his ambassador to the United Nations for two years, sometimes distanced herself from the former president and continued with the approach she followed when she disagreed with him during his administration. .

Ms Noem, the first term governor of South Dakota, has now committed herself to Mr. Trump. On Friday, she would appear in Palm Beach, Florida, for a fundraiser for her 2022 re-election campaign. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is hosting the $ 1,000-per-person cocktail reception in Mar-a-Lago with his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

As president, Mr. Trump visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota before Independence Day and appeared with Ms. Mention. As part of the visit, she handed him a bronze miniature of the monument along with former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Me. Noem, who represented her state in Congress for eight years before becoming governor, also received political advice from an adviser to the former president. Corey Lewandowski, who is a part of Mr. Trump ran his first presidential campaign, Ms. Mention in early January at a meeting of the Republican National Committee in Florida.

Me. Haley also attended the RNC rally just after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 by a pro-Trump mob. She made significantly bigger waves there and used her speech to praise both Trump’s achievements in office and criticize his behavior after his election loss in November, when he repeatedly claimed to have defeated President Biden.

“His actions since election day will be judged harshly by history,” she told RNC members. “It’s disappointing.”

In a recent Politico interview, she made an even bigger turn to Mr. Trump. “I do not think he will be in the picture,” she said. Haley said about his future role in the party. “I do not think he can. He has fallen so far. ”

Gail Gitcho, a GOP strategist and former communications director for the Republican Governors’ Association, said Ms. Haley’s work during the Trump administration makes her “a little darling of conservatives” across the country.

“Since Trump’s defeat, however, she’s been critical of him. So she clearly sees a different path than many other candidates, ‘she said. “Governor Noem seems to be following a more conventional path, acknowledging Trump’s continued popularity among Republican primary voters.”

More women could emerge as potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates, as the field is likely to come into sharper focus after next year’s midterm elections.

During an appearance at the Conservative Conference on Political Action in Florida this past weekend, Ms Name mentioned the former president within the first 90 seconds of her speech. In her remarks, she shows her mostly practical approach to the coronavirus pandemic, a style of government that has delighted some conservatives.

‘Covid did not crush the economy. “The government has crushed the economy,” she said. “I do not believe governors have the authority to tell you that your business is not essential.”

Me. Noem also fought against mask mandates and last August encouraged a major motorcycle rally in her state that attracted hundreds of thousands of people, causing complaints from some that she helped spread the virus nationally.

Although national figures on public health were critical of Ms. Mentioning and pointing to the high per capita infection rate in her state, the pandemic helped to elevate the governor among conservatives, at a time when Ms. Haley was not in office.

Me. Noem finished second in a CPAC sprint of potential 2024 presidential candidates, behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when Mr. Trump was not included in the mix. She received support from 11% of the participants, while Mrs. Haley was supported by 3%.

Mr. Trump teased during his own CPAC appearance that he would be able to run for president a third time, a possibility that could freeze the field of potential candidates.

Me. Haley was invited to speak at the Conservative rally, but an assistant said she has a previous commitment. She declined a maintenance request.

Ian Fury, spokeswoman for Ms. Mentioned in an email statement in an interview request that she has no ambitions from the Oval Office. “As Governor Noem has said many times, she has no interest in electing her as president,” he said. “She hopes the people of South Dakota will trust her to serve another four years as governor.”

Me. Haley has been on many GOP shortlists as a potential national candidate, in part because her biography as the daughter of Indian immigrants could provide a compelling narrative for a Republican Party often criticized by critics as anti-immigrant under Mr. Trump.

So far, Ms. Haley has mostly been able to stay above the battle of the GOP battles in Washington because she is not in the U.S. Senate, unlike nearly half of the roughly 20 people on unofficial lists of possible 2024 candidates. It also means that in recent months she has rarely faced difficult questions from reporters and does not have to vote on divisive issues such as accusation.

Her Twitter feed contains almost daily criticism of President Biden, as well as themes popular under the conservative base of the GOP. Me. Haley is also building the kind of political organization that prospective presidential candidates create before announcing their intentions.

Me. Haley recently appointed the former political director of the National Republican Senate Committee to lead her new Stand for America political action committee, an institution that will enable her to weigh mid-term contests, expand her donor network, and make nationwide political to make friends. She also leads a similar non-profit organization that focuses on conservative policies.

In addition to her political and policy work, Ms. Haley speaks for business clients and other clients who can pay as much as $ 200,000 each.

Write to John McCormick by [email protected]