>>> Starting February 15th the
former president will have his
first rival for the 2024
presidential nomination.
It's his one time ambassador and
former South Carolina governor
Nikki Haley.
According to a force familiar
with her plans, the invitations
have already gone out and how
she plans to set herself apart
from a man she once criticized
and broke with.
>> We need to go in a new
direction, and can I be that
leader?
Yes, I think I can be that
leader.
>> Reporter: Nikki Haley clearly
hinting she was ready to launch
her own presidential campaign in
a recent interview.
The former governor of south
Carolina is poised to be the
first Republican to challenge
Donald Trump who launched his
campaign last year.
So far freezing out others from
declaring their candidacy.
>> We're going to win it, and
we're going to win very big.
>> Reporter: Making it for now a
one-on-one match between two
competitive politicians whose
relationship has had many twists
and turns.
That was in the oval office in
2019. Haley was stepping down after
serving for nearly two years as
trump's ambassador to the united
nations.
But during the run up to his
2016 campaign she was an
outspoken critic.
>> It can be tempting to follow
the siren call of the angriest
voices.
We must resist that temptation.
>> Reporter: Haley was
especially critical of trump's
proposal to put a temporary ban
on muslims entering the U.S.
>> It defies everything this
country was based on.
>> Reporter: And she ultimately
chose to endorse Marco Rubio in
the primary.
>> I wanted somebody that had
conviction to do the right
thing.
>> Reporter: But when trump
became the nominee, Haley's tune
shifted.
>> The best person based on the
policies and dealing with things
like Obamacare still is Donald
Trump. That doesn't mean it's an easy
vote.
I did vote for him, and I was
absolutely thrilled to see him
win. Get excited because I am just
giddy. >> Reporter: Her political
skills were on display when she
exited before trump's term was
over before provoking him to
chastise her.
Haley shied away from rebuking
trump when he refused to concede
the 2020 election, but
eventually she criticized him
after January 6th telling
politico, quote, we need to
acknowledge he let us down, he
went down a path he shouldn't
have and we shouldn't have
followed him, and we shouldn't
have listened to him.
And we can't let that happen
again. Then she appeared to repair any
rift after the party signaled
January 6th is not going to be
the political end of trump.
>> I would not run if president
trump ran and I'll talk to him
about it.
That's something we'll have a
conversation about at some point
if that decision has to be made.
>> Reporter: And trump says
she's had to make that call.
>> What's the strategy behind
the timing of her announcement?
Is there a reason this month?
>> Reporter: Yeah, when you talk
to Republican operatives they
say this her opportunity for a
moment in the spotlight,
Anderson.
Obviously she's going to be
sharing that moment in the
spotlight with former president
trump, but it's going to give
her an opportunity to get some
sustained and focused attention
from the media.
We're doing stories on her right
now and of course from voters
who are paying attention this
far-out.
When you also talk to folks who
are close to Nikki Haley it
shows she's gutsy, she's
determined, not scared to
challenge trump and she's
confident in herself.
Of course there are drawbacks,
too. You talk to Republican
operatives, some who plan to
work for other folks or plan to
get into the race and they say
getting in this early could be
dempmental because you're the
only one the official punching
bag for trump, and it gives him
some sustained time to develop
his critiques for Nikki Haley
while it's this one-on-one race.
>> The former chairman of the
South Carolina Republican party.
Chairman Dawson, good to have
you on.
So the former president is
aralready knocking ambassador
Haley posting on social media
she's following her, quote,
heart not her honor.
Not sure exactly what that
means.
He's also posted an old clip of
her saying she would not run if
he ran again in 2024.
What changed in her political
calculus do you think?
>> You've got to understand with
Nikki Haley not much scares her.
She's the most underestimated
political candidate you'll ever
see, and she has won races
nobody thought she'd win.
She's been the governor of the
state of South Carolina, very
popular.
And I don't think Donald Trump
scares Nikki Haley.
I think she's been right in
talking about this the next
generation's time to serve.
Right now you look at Joe Biden
will be 82 years old if he's
re-elected, Donald Trump will be
78 years old, and there's going
to be a contest for the
presidency.
Nikki Haley is just -- she's
prepared herself.
She's ready to get in, and she's
ready to take it to Joe Biden
and the administration where the
country's failed us.
And she's ready to give Donald
Trump a contest.
As to the rest of them to get
in, jump in the water's fine,
but Nikki Haley is in and she's
going to run, and I think she's
going to be very successful.
>> How do you think she'll fare
as a candidate?
>> I'm a Nikki Haley fan.
I think she's got the
qualifications, a formidable
candidate.
She also needs to run directly
against Donald Trump, and that's
the open question is how willing
she is to directly challenge him
the by and large front-runner
right now.
Does she have the capability and
the strengthen to do it, yes.
The verdict is still out on
whether she's actually willing
to. I think she's arguably the
strongest candidate against him
when she directly challenges
him.
The one caution I have is this
is my cynical political take,
there's one school of thought
she's getting out early to
actually ultimately run to be
his vice president.
I hope that's not the case.
She has a record of her own to
run on.
She could be president tomorrow
and be ready.
>> One of the tests of that, I
suppose, is whether she does
directly take him on.
>> The next couple of months
will tell if that is her plan or
truly a run for the presidency.
>> Chairman Dawson, what about
that? We played in that clip that she
did after January 6th say we
shouldn't have gone down that
road, we shouldn't follow him,
we should never do it again.
Do you think she will
continue -- and then she kind of
seemed to walk it back a little
bit saying the things she said
about never running if he was
running.
Do you think she will take on
the former president directly?
>> I know she'll him on it and
be successful doing it.
Nikki comes out of south
Carolina.
And, Anderson, you've been here
before.
This is a rough place.
It's a place that this race is
going to end up in the gutter,
and we're going to have people
in it.
And the first one to come out
and take a shower is going to be
the winner, and that's probably
going to be Nikki Haley.
Donald Trump right now I think
has hit his ceiling.
We'll find out.
He did a good -- a good small
rally in South Carolina last
week. I would say trying to clear the
field. But this is going to be a
contest.
I think what Alissa's hitting on
is how many people are going to
be in it?
Because as you know these crime
areas are the winner takes all.
So 31, 33% makes you a winner.
So the question is are we going
to a jungle primary with 16
people in it, I don't think so.
Who has the financial
infrastructure to take on Donald
Trump?
Nikki Haley is one of those.
She's prepared, we're excited
about it, and we're going to
have a contest.
The Democrats maybe won't have a
contest, but, boy, there's a lot
going on in both parties right
now about the generational shift
that we see in the electoral
village that we live in now that
I think people are looking for
the next generation to come
cleanup what my generation
couldn't get fixed and move us
into a new place.
>> Alyssa, chairman Dawson
raised a good point.
The more people who get in
obviously good for -- for the
political debate, but does it
favor the former president?
>> Yeah, the worst thing for the
GOP would be to repeat 2016
where you've got, you know, 16
people on stage in two separate
debates because you can't even
fit them all up there.
>> And the former president
picks them off one by one.
>> One by one and cannibalizes
them.
I think it's a show of strength
if she's truly running against
trump to go out early.
It makes someone like a Mike
pence or Mike Pompeo to
consider.
This is a woman who's next
generation, she's a female that