(Headline USA) GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she no longer felt bound to the loyalty pledge she made to the Republican National Committee to back the party’s eventual nominee.
The pledge was one of the conditions for participating in the recent GOP debates, which frontrunner Donald Trump notably boycotted for that specific reason.
“At the time of the debate, we had to take it,” Haley told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
“The RNC is now not the same RNC,” she claimed, alluding to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s decision to step down after the March 5 “Super Tuesday” primaries.
When pressed on whether she felt bound to that pledge, Haley said, “No. I think I’ll make what decision I want to make, but that’s not something I’m thinking about.”
Trump and his allies have signaled their desire to replace McDaniel with Michael Whatley, the current head of the North Carolina Republican Party, as well as Trump’s own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
In a speech Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., Trump noted that Whatley had succeeded where many had failed in preventing widespread vote fraud during the 2020 election, despite going up against a Democrat governor and attorney general who attempted to issue last-minute policy changes via executive fiat.
Haley would not be the only candidate on the debate stage to welsh on his honor-bound word. After dropping out of the race, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared that he would not support Trump in November.
The Trump campaign, however, made it clear it didn’t think much of Haley’s commitment either way.
“Republican voters have delivered resounding wins for President Trump in every single primary contest and this race is over,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Our focus is now on Joe Biden and the general election.”
Haley won her first primary contest, in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
Trump dismissed her victory in a post on Truth Social, saying he “purposely” stayed away from campaigning in the “Swamp” because there was “no upside” to it.
“Birdbrain spent all of her time, money and effort there. Over the weekend we won Missouri, Idaho, and Michigan—BIG NUMBERS—Complete destruction of a very weak opponent. The really big numbers will come on Super Tuesday,” he added.
