Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley stated that if Donald Trump is found guilty of a federal crime and she becomes president, she would grant the former president a pardon.
Haley was in a town hall on Fox News in South Carolina when she said granting a pardon to Trump would be in the country's "best interest." "I would pardon Donald Trump because I think it's important for the country to move on," Haley said. "We've got to leave the negativity (...) I don't want this country divided any further. I don't think it's in the best interest for America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it. I think this would be the time that we would need to move forward and get this out of the way," she added.
Despite this, Haley did not spare her criticism of Trump and recalled the long Republican electoral race she has gone through: "There were 14 candidates in the race. We've defeated a dozen fellas. I just have one more fellow to catch up to. And through it all, there have been naysayers and that's OK. I'm used to being an underdog."
Haley's statements come just before the February 24 primary in South Carolina, where she will once again face Trump in a battle that promises to be intense and decisive for the future of the Republican Party.
“I would pardon Donald Trump” — Nikki Haley tells Fox News Town Hall pic.twitter.com/PLE5a0wBTf
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) February 18, 2024
Trump's legal problems
Trump, currently considered the favorite of the Republican Party, faces various legal challenges, including a case for alleged actions to remain in power after the defeat in the 2020 elections and another for the alleged intentional withholding of national security information.
In addition to these legal challenges, Trump suffered an additional setback recently, as he was banned from doing business in New York for three years. This decision was made within the framework of the civil fraud trial in New York, initiated by Attorney General Letitia James, which also resulted in an order to pay more than $350 million in damages.
