Haley in new interview says she’s not ‘anti-Trump,’ ahead of Super Tuesday

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she is not “anti-Trump” during a roundtable with reporters just days before Super Tuesday. 

The former U.N. ambassador, who is coming off losses in Michigan and her home state of South Carolina, said she is focused on the direction of the country and that her party could have a better contender than former President Trump.

“I’m not anti-Trump,” Haley said Friday, according to USA Today. “This is about the fact that I think America is better than this. And I think that the Republican Party is better than this, and I think we can do more than this.”

She emphasized her backers want a new leader, instead of a likely 2020 rematch between Trump and President Biden. 

“These crowds are not anti-Trump crowds,” Haley said. “They want someone new. They want something different. They want something to be hopeful about.”

The former South Carolina governor’s focus is more on the direction of the country, even if it does not yield her becoming the GOP nominee, differentiating herself from former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a vocal Trump critic who ended his presidential bid last month. 

“If I was doing that, I would be Chris Christie,” Haley said. “Chris Christie was anti-Trump. I’m pro-America.”

Haley also said that her campaign raised $12 million in February, a significant haul for the candidate who has vowed to stay in the race until at least Super Tuesday, when she will compete with Trump in multiple state contests. The money influx was lower than her haul in January, when she raised more than $16 million, a record for her campaign. 

“A substantial portion of Republicans are rejecting Trump’s divisive politics and isolationist policies,” Olivia Perez-Cubas, a Haley spokesperson, said in a statement. “They are rallying around Nikki Haley’s conservative message, sending small-dollar contributions with handwritten messages, and showing up in droves as she travels across the Super Tuesday states. Like Nikki, they believe America is worth fighting for.”