Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's suggestion that she may not abide by the Republican National Committee's (RNC) pledge to support the Republican nominee for president this November.
Republican presidential candidates were required to sign the RNC’s pledge vowing to support the eventual party nominee in order to participate in primary debates. All Republican candidates signed the pledge this primary season besides the former president, who did not participate in any primary debates.
Earlier this week leading up to Super Tuesday, Haley indicated she may not honor her pledge during an interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker.
“The RNC pledge – I mean, at the time of the debate, we had to take it to where, ‘Would you support the nominee,’ and in order to get on that debate stage, you said yes,” Haley responded. “The RNC is now not the same RNC. Now, it’s Trump’s daughter-in-law.”
Welker asked if Haley felt she was no longer "bound" by her pledge, to which Haley said she would "make what decision I want to make."
DeSantis commented on Haley's remark during a Wednesday appearance on Newsmax's The Balance.
"I signed the pledge, and you signed the pledge saying that you’re gonna not take your ball and go home," DeSantis told host Eric Bolling. "And so I honored the pledge, and she’s gonna have to make a decision about whether she wants to or not."
"But the idea that somehow circumstances have changed," DeSantis continued. "I think we all knew what we were doing when we did that, and you've got to make a judgment about whether that’s meaningful to you."
"For me, I tell people, you know, if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it," he added.
Trump signed the RNC's pledge in 2015 during his initial presidential run, though notably refused to sign it this election cycle.
“Why would I sign a pledge? There are people on there that I wouldn’t have,” Trump said last August. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president.”
“So right there, there’s a problem right there," he added.
Aside from Haley, fellow former Republican candidate Chris Christie has also indicated he may not support the former president this November "under any circumstances." Christie said he would wait to see the “complete field,” though added he doesn’t see himself voting for President Joe Biden this November.
