Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor who challenged former President Donald J. Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, will make a solidarity visit to Israel next week.
Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during Trump's presidency, plans to tour Israeli communities near the Gaza border as well as the north of the country during her visit beginning Monday, according to Danny Danon, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations who will accompany her. She is also scheduled to meet with Israeli leaders and senior security officials.
The trip comes after Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, announced on Wednesday that she would vote for Trump's third bid for the White House, putting aside her past reproaches of his actions after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. She has recently been rumored to be under active consideration to be Trump's running mate, although Trump himself quickly rebuffed this.
Haley mounted an unexpectedly robust challenge to Trump in the Republican primaries, garnering support from a broad coalition of mainstream party donors, officials and voters uneasy with the former president's norm-shattering behavior. She amassed 97 delegates, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
But Trump dominated the primary race from the outset, steamrolling his opponents with a campaign war chest unmatched in modern presidential politics. He ultimately secured the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the Republican nomination on the first ballot.
Ms. Haley's decision to back Trump reflects the former president's continued grip on the Republican base despite his role in the Jan. 6 riot and his third indictment on criminal charges earlier this month. Yet her willingness to join his campaign in some capacity also underscores the fissures within the party over how to move forward after the tumultuous Trump era.
