Sarah Matthews, an ex-spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, took a shot at former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Sunday, saying she chose to “bend the knee.”
The comments from Matthews came while she appeared on MSNBC, saying that, like many other Republicans who challenged the former president, Haley has fallen in line.
“She was building momentum, and she really could have been, maybe in a post-Trump Republican Party, been the leader, but instead, she chooses to bend the knee, kiss the ring, like every other Republican seems to do,” Matthews said.
She went on to reference a similar remark from Trump himself, which he made after receiving an endorsement from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) in January.
“I mean, Donald Trump said it best: They always bend the knee. And it’s just disappointing, but again, not surprising,” Matthews said.
After dropping out of the GOP nominee race, Haley had said she would not endorse Trump, saying it was up to him to win her and her supporters over.
However, last week she came forward and said she would vote for the former president over Biden in November, saying he was a better option.
The announcement drew criticism from several Republicans who are notable anti-Trump, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. Kinzinger said the decision was “pathetic,” and Scaramucci said she had “no backbone.”
Matthews said that while she never expected Haley to endorse Biden, she could have at least declined to back Trump.
“She has criticized Donald Trump time and time again,” Matthews said. “It goes all the way back to 2016, and she’s flip-flopped numerous times on it. And so, I think they have already rejected her.”
Matthews says that Haley’s supporters were excited for her to take on Trump and potentially be an option for the party when the former president is done leading the party.
However, she doesn’t know now if they will follow her anymore as it “creates this permission structure for those kinds of normie Republicans then to follow her.”
“And … in an election that’s going to be decided on the margins, even if it’s not the majority of those supporters, just having those few who might then end up following her and supporting Donald Trump could make the difference in some of those key battleground states,” she added.