Nikki Haley to announce 2024 presidential run in February, reports say

Indian-American politician likely to join crowded field in challenging Donald Trump for Republican nomination

Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, is expected to announce her candidacy for the 2024 US presidential nomination. Reuters

Nikki Haley, who served as the US ambassador to the UN under Donald Trump, is expected to announce her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on February 15, media outlets have reported.

Ms Haley was expected to deliver an invitation to supporters to a “special announcement” to be made in South Carolina, The Post and Courier of Charleston first reported.

Her presidential campaign would pit her against her former boss, who also hopes to secure the Republican nomination. She would be the party's first female and non-white nominee, should she win the nomination.

Ms Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants, served as governor of South Carolina from 2011-2017.

She rose to national prominence in 2015 when she pushed to remove the Confederate flag from state grounds after a white supremacist killed nine people at a black church.

While serving as the US ambassador to the UN from 2017-2018, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran. She also pushed for stronger sanctions on North Korea.

If Ms Haley does announce her candidacy, she will join a crowded field: Former vice president Mike Pence and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo are expected to enter the race. And former national security adviser John Bolton said he is seriously considering running as well.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also expected to run and is seen as Mr Trump's most potent rival for the nomination.

Ms Haley has been inconsistent in her criticisms of Mr Trump since leaving his administration in 2018. She once said the former president had no future with the Republican Party after the January 6 insurrection.

But her expected announcement appears to backtrack on comments she made to reporters in 2021 that she would not seek the Republican ticket if Mr Trump were to run again.

Mr Trump told a local South Carolina television outlet at the weekend that she had reached out to him over the decision. Mr Trump said he told Ms Haley: “If your heart wants to do it, you have to go do it.”

Agencies contributed to this report