Haley confirms Charleston event, expected to enter 2024 presidential race

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley confirmed she and her family will make “a big announcement” in Charleston in mid-February.

Haley posted on her Twitter account Wednesday afternoon that she and her family make the announcement on Feb. 15.

“And yes, it’s definitely going to be a Great Day in South Carolina,” she added, repeating a familiar slogan from her time as governor in the state. Her post included an RSVP link to the event on the Eventbrite platform.

She stopped short of providing the nature of the event, but two South Carolina Republicans told CBS News Haley plans to announce her 2024 White House bid. The report did not name the two Republicans who provided the information.

The link indicates the event will be held at The Shed at The Charleston Visitor Center, located at 375 Meeting St. The site allows visitors to reserve a spot, but states admission is free.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. and last approximately 90 minutes, the site states.

If Haley does announce her candidacy for the Republican nomination, she would become the first Republican candidate to join former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.

Haley hinted at a possible presidential run back in July when she slammed the Biden Administration on Twitter, saying the president was desperate to get back into the Iran nuclear deal.

“It’s painfully obvious that the current White House is bad ad negotiating,” she said on Twitter.

But in another tweet, she said that if Biden were to sign any deal, she “would make you a promise” that the next president “will shred it -- on her first day in office.”

Haley served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, when she left office to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Trump.

But she even criticized him for what she saw as his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

“We shouldn’t have followed him and we shouldn’t have listened to him,” she said in February of 2021, claiming she had to turn away from the president’s Jan. 6 speech because she feared bad things would happen.

Trump told reporters over the weekend that Haley called him to say she was considering launching her campaign.

“I talk to her for a little while but I said look, you know, go by your heart, if you want to run,” Trump told the White House press pool.

Back in December, Gov. Henry McMaster, who completed the last two years of Haley’s term, acknowledged that Haley was one of several who was considering a White House bid. But the governor made his top choice clear.

“I’ve been with President Trump from the beginning and I’m going to stay with him,” he said.

McMaster, along with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, appeared with Trump on Saturday during a campaign stop in Columbia when the former president announced his South Carolina campaign team.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is a leading GOP presidential prospect, is not expected to make any 2024 moves until the spring, after the Florida Legislature adjourns and he completes a national book tour.

Others possibly considering a presidential run include former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who, along with Haley, campaigned last year for GOP candidates.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.