The Bitter Fallout Between Tim Scott And Nikki Haley Explained
Tim Scott and Nikki Haley were longtime political allies and friends before their public falling out. Haley appointed Scott to the Senate in South Carolina in 2012, when she was the governor of the state. The pair were effusive when discussing one another at the time, and their combined efforts to improve South Carolina. Over a decade later, the two faced each other head-on as they both vied for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, but there was still no bad blood. "I have such great respect for Nikki Haley. She is a strong, powerful force for good," Scott said in 2023, per the Associated Press. "We were friends before. We'll be friends after," he said about facing off against Haley.
That friendship hit shaky ground when Scott pulled out of the race, and shocked many when he chose to back Trump for president instead of Haley, his longtime political ally. "We need a president who will unite our country — we need Donald Trump," Scott said while addressing a crowd in New Hampshire on January 19, per The Hill. After choosing Trump, Scott's relationship with Haley became messy.
Haley voiced her disappointed with Scott shunning her for Trump. "South Carolina is a bloodsport," she told Fox News on January 20 (via Newsweek). "Everyone has a decision to make and they have to live with their decision. He'll have to live with his," Haley added. The tension between the former partners only worsened in the coming weeks.
Did Tim Scott tell Nikki Haley he was choosing Trump?
There was a disagreement between Tim Scott and Nikki Haley over whether or not he gave her a head's up before endorsing Donald Trump for president. "Actually, I texted her the day before ... I made my announcement," Scott told CNN on January 22. According to Haley however, she was not given the courtesy. "That's not true. He didn't call. He didn't text. He didn't tell me that he was going to do this," she told the network.
The following day, while speaking in New Hampshire, Trump put Scott on the spot, as he highlighted the former South Carolina senator's relationship with Haley. "Did you ever think [about how] she actually appointed you, Tim?" Trump said to Scott (via The Hill). "You must really hate her," the former president added. "I just love you," Scott responded.
As the race between Haley and Trump continued for the republican nomination, Scott's backing remained a hot topic. Haley's son, Nalin Haley, took a shot at his mother's former ally when he addressed a crowd in South Carolina on February 10. "Senator Judas — excuse me, Senator Scott," Nalin said, per the Washington Post's Dylan Wells. A spokesperson for Scott took issue with the inflammatory label. "You'd never hear Ms. Frances or anyone from the Scott family talk like that," they told the Post's Wells. The presidential hopeful later said the "Senator Judas" moniker was counterproductive to her campaign. In the following weeks, Scott pushed for her to step aside.
Will Tim Scott be Donald Trump's running mate?
A month after Tim Scott officially endorsed Donald Trump for president, he called for Nikki Haley to step aside and end her campaign. "It's desperation that you feel coming from her camp," Scott said on Fox News on February 19 (via Mediaite). Scott wanted the Republican Party to focus their efforts on defeating Joe Biden at the polls. "She has to realize that this race is over. It is best for the country, not just our party," he added.
Despite the years of working alongside Haley in the past, Scott had fully embraced his role in Trump's camp. On February 24, the former senator spoke about choosing Trump over the person who appointed him to senate. "It was one of the easier decisions I've had to make in a long time. My working relationship with the former president was spotless," Scott told the Washington Examiner. "Having worked with Nikki and with the former president, it just was an easy decision for me," he added.
One possible motivating factor for Scott to show such a strong allegiance to Trump over Haley was the possibility of being named as a running mate. During a Fox News town hall on February 20, Trump confirmed that Scott was among a handful of potential candidates for vice president. "He's been such a great advocate," the former president said about Scott (via Politico). "I watched his campaign, and he doesn't like talking about himself. But boy does he talk about Trump," Trump said.