Before Nikki Haley could even make her case to the American people, right-wing media have already dubbed her announcement a big mistake and written off her campaign almost entirely.

Haley formally announced her 2024 campaign on February 14, making her the first official Republican primary challenger to Donald Trump’s reelection bid despite previously stating that she would not run against him. Haley, who previously served as governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, is one of a few former Trump officials who are expected to run in 2024. 

Both right-wing and mainstream observers are anticipating a crowded GOP primary field, and media outlets are already casting predictions despite having only two confirmed contenders so far. Right-wing media outlets have given considerable support to both Trump and his presumptive strongest primary challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, signaling the belief that the 2024 race will be a contest between the two.

Haley had previously been treated favorably across the media landscape, with mainstream outlets having spun her tenure at the U.N. as a “moderating influence” in the Trump administration despite her record of defending extremist policies. Notably, her role in the U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council was celebrated by right-wing media figures who have long criticized the U.N. 

Even before Haley formally announced her candidacy, right-wing media figures largely attacked her campaign and discredited its potential impact on the GOP primary race, with some proactively declaring that they would never vote for Haley and others quickly attacking her campaign less than a day after the announcement.

Attacking Haley and her campaign prior to her formal announcement

• On February 1, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson deliberately misrepresented some of Haley’s prior comments ahead of her campaign announcement, stating that she “explained that immigrants are more patriotic than you are, and she also endorsed the BLM riots.” 
• Fox prime-time host Laura Ingraham raised the question of whether Haley would be “the Jeb Bush of 2024” on the January 31 edition of The Ingraham Angle, despite admitting that the former ambassador has “a lot of fans out there.” 
• On February 2, Newsmax host Greg Kelly labeled her prospective campaign as a “D.O.A.” and later pointed to Haley’s previous statement that she would not run against Trump as evidence that her campaign will “crash and burn.”
• Pro-Trump troll and anti-Muslim extremist Laura Loomer dismissed Haley’s potential run in a February 1 tweet, speculating that former Trump officials were going to run in 2024 as a “coordinated GOP establishment effort to smear Trump.”
• Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) dismissed Haley’s potential campaign as “so silly” in a February 1 tweet, claiming that “none of these potential challengers who sold their soul to Trump can say they’re better than him.”

Declaring that they would never vote for Haley

• Right-wing influencer Terrence K. Williams tweeted ahead of Haley’s announcement, “I’m not voting for Nikki Haley. I’ll pass. Who’s with me on this ?” 
• Far-right commentator and neo-Nazi collaborator Jack Posobiec declared, “I would vote for Nikki Sixx before I voted for Nikki Haley.”
• Pro-Trump influencers the Hodgetwins remarked on Twitter, “Ain’t nobody voting for Nikki Haley.”
• Loomer later attacked Haley, referring to her birth name of Nimrata in an attempt to evoke her family's immigrant background, before endorsing Trump’s third presidential bid.

Additional attacks since Haley’s official announcement

• The Federalist’s Benjamin Weingarten dismissed Haley’s campaign on Newsmax’s Wake Up America, stating, “There’s a rule in politics that you never run for vice president.”
• Conservative lawyer and social media figure Will Chamberlain branded Haley a “liberal in outlook and mindset” whose “views are ultimately formed by the New York Times and the Washington Post,” but claimed that she “had to run as a Republican” since she is from South Carolina.
• Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier attacked Haley’s announcement, saying she “is clearly gunning for the Never-Trump vote” and “she’s starting to sound like a closeted Democrat.”