Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that if she wins the GOP primary and the general election in November, she will pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of a federal crime.
The statement came during a Fox News town hall in her home state of South Carolina.
While taking questions from members of the audience, Haley explained she believed the country needs unity and for that reason, as president, she would pardon Trump.
“If you were elected president, would you pardon Donald Trump if he was convicted of a crime in federal court,” a voter asked the former U.N. ambassador.
“You know,” she responded, “if you’re talking about pardoning Trump, it’s not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point because that means he would have already been found guilty.
“I believe, in the best interest of bringing the country together, I would pardon Donald Trump, because I think it’s important for the country to move on.”
Haley explained that if Trump were to ever see a jail cell, millions of Americans would be up in arms.
“We’ve got to leave the negativity and the baggage behind,” she said. “I don’t want this country divided any further. I don’t think it’s in the best interests for America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it.”
The former South Carolina governor concluded by saying she would approach such a decision as an opportunity to unify the country.
Did you like her answer?
“I think this would be the time that we would need to move forward and get this out of the way,” Haley said.
She received a round of applause for the response.
“I would pardon Donald Trump” — Nikki Haley tells Fox News Town Hall pic.twitter.com/PLE5a0wBTf
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) February 18, 2024
The GOP front-runner took aim at Haley on his Truth Social platform on Monday morning.
“When will stupid people like Nikki Haley confess to knowing that the Indictments and Litigation that I am fighting is all DEMOCRAT and Crooked Joe Biden INSPIRED, COORDINATED, & RUN!” Trump said.
The former president continued, “They have done a terrible job, and there is nothing else that they can do to save their ‘sinking ship.’ It is illegal Election Interference, and if I weren’t running, or leading so big, none of this would be happening.”
“If Birdbrain were ever in my position, which she won’t be, she would be hit just as hard, and not be able to fight back,” he said. “The only money she is getting now is coming from Democrats. I know her well, and she just doesn’t have what it takes, and never will. MAGA! P.S. She’s losing to Biden in almost every poll. I am winning in EVERY poll.”
Trump leads Haley 74.9 percent to 17.2 percent in the latest RealClearPolitics polling averages for the GOP primary.
The former president faces two federal indictments in addition to criminal charges in New York and Georgia.
Special counsel Jack Smith accused him of mishandling classified documents in one indictment and conspiracy in the other, which was related to his challenge of the 2020 election results.
