Michael Kosta Critiques Nikki Haley’s Surprising Endorsement of Trump: ‘What the Hell, Nikki'

On a recent episode of The Daily Show, host Michael Kosta expressed his frustration over Nikki Haley’s sudden support for former President Donald Trump. In a scorching commentary, Kosta exclaimed, “What the hell, Nikki?” Kosta’s frustration originated from Haley’s apparent hypocrisy in endorsing her former GOP primary rival after their heated exchanges, but from the manner in which she did it. He said,  “Every loser ends up supporting their party’s nominee…made this whole big show about withholding her support…and then she gave it up for nothing.” He further quipped, “Haley would make the worst kidnapper ever…I’m sure it will be worth it and Trump will reward her for it. Enjoy being ambassador to those islands where the nuclear bombs get tested, Nikki,” as reported by HuffPost.

Haley's recent endorsement came during her speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., where she declared, “I will be voting for Trump. Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech.” This statement starkly contrasted her earlier descriptions of Trump as ‘unhinged’ and ‘more unhinged than he ever was.’ Just months before, Haley had publicly mocked Trump for his disparaging comments about her deployed husband, asserting that he was “not qualified to be the president of the United States.”

Haley’s announcement stands in stark contrast to her March suspension speech, where she highlighted her support for the GOP nominee but also quoted former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, saying, "Never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind." Back then, Haley remarked, "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing."

As per CNN, in a May 11 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that Haley "is not under consideration" to be his vice presidential candidate, further highlighting the contentious relationship between the two. The Biden campaign was quick to respond to Haley’s announcement, asserting, "Nothing has changed for the millions of Republican voters who continue to cast their ballots against Donald Trump in the primaries and care deeply about the future of our democracy, standing strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, and working across the aisle to get things done for the American people — while also rejecting the chaos, division, and violence that Donald Trump embodies."

In her speech, Haley attempted to reconcile her decision by acknowledging Trump's imperfections on policies important to her, including foreign policy, immigration, and the economy, but contrasted them with President Joe Biden, whom she described as a “catastrophe.”