South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was wrong to have trashed Donald Trump in her Republican rebuttal of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tells
Newsmax TV.
The former governor of Arkansas told "The Steve Malzberg Show" that Haley should have fully concentrated on tearing into the commander-in-chief’s speech instead of alienating her fellow Republican, who remains the runaway Republican presidential front-runner.
"I'm not sure why she needed to do that because it very well could be Donald Trump may be the nominee and if he is, then we need to unite behind him," Huckabee said Wednesday.
"The Republican National Committee has been very forceful in saying we have to all line up and agree that we're going to support the nominee and not be third-party candidates."
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Huckabee’s comments came as some political pundits theorized that Haley was goaded by the RNC to rip into Trump, who many mainstream Republicans continue to dislike.
"If we're supposed to pledge loyalty to the RNC, then I have every expectation that the RNC had better pledge their support to whoever the nominee is," Huckabee said.
While Haley didn’t mention him by name, there was no doubt she was referring to Trump and his boisterous, shoot-from-the-lip style as she addressed the nation Tuesday night.
"Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume," Haley said.
On Wednesday morning she fessed up on the "Today" show, admitting she was referring to Trump, who she believes "has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk."
But Huckabee said he disagreed with the approach.
"I certainly understood when [Haley] was trying to say that we all have some responsibility for the tone and tenor of campaigns and the rhetoric. That's fair.
"But I also think her purpose was to respond to the president and be more specific in just pointing out that his comments on how great the economy is, how strong our military is. The president was making it up out of thin air because he just wasn't speaking out of reality.
"That could have been stronger because our purpose is to say, there's a real contrast. There's a difference between what the Democrats are doing and what the Republicans are doing, what they stand for, and what the results are going to be. I do think it's important that Americans know that difference."
He also believes Haley may have blown her chances to get a shot as the vice presidential running mate of whoever gets the nomination.
"I'm pretty sure she won't be on Trump's ticket," he said.
Asked by Malzberg if he would tap Haley as his running mate if he is nominated, Huckabee, who trails Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio, Dr. Ben Carson and Jeb Bush in a new
New York Times-CBS News national poll, dodged the question.
"I don't know her very well because she came into office after I had finished my two-and-a-half terms. So I just don't have the relationship with her that many others do," he said.
Trump, not one to shy away from anybody who goes after him, called Haley "weak" on illegal immigration and said he'd look for someone "better" to be his running mate.