Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is under active consideration by Donald Trump’s campaign to be his running mate, news site Axios reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the situation.
Trump could pick Haley if he were convinced she could help him win the presidency, avoid a potential prison sentence and cover tens of millions in legal bills if he lost, the report said. Haley, the former South Carolina governor and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, ended her long-shot challenge to Republican presidential front runner Trump in March.
Responding to the article, Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes said: “Only President Trump will rule a contender for vice-president in or out, and anyone claiming to know who he will choose is lying.”
Comment was not immediately available from Haley. While she has acknowledged that Trump, who repeatedly belittled her candidacy, would be the Republican nominee, she has not endorsed him.
There is already a long list of potential candidates for the vice-president position that includes North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, US senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and J.D. Vance, and US Representative Elise Stefanik.
Burgum and Scott competed against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out. Noem has been embroiled in controversy after revealing in a memoir that she once shot a 14-month-old dog for being disobedient.
Trump is in no hurry to pick a running mate, according to advisers. He will not be formally nominated until the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July.
He will face President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 5 general election.
