Following a bitter primary election, former President Donald Trump’s main Republican rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, have sought reconciliation.
Haley recently announced her delegates and urged them to support Trump, while DeSantis has endorsed Trump and pledged to help his campaign.
But only one will speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.
Haley will not attend the convention; a spokesman for the former South Carolina governor said she had not been invited.
DeSantis was scheduled to be in Milwaukee and had initially planned to stay on the convention’s outskirts, and as of Tuesday evening he was not scheduled to speak on the convention’s main stage, according to a source familiar with the schedule.
But after media reports about DeSantis’s disregard were published, “the schedule was rescheduled and he is now participating in the program,” the source said.
The two-term Florida governor will also participate in a Moms for Liberty panel discussion and a breakfast with the state delegation.
Showcasing upcoming talent and promoting party unity are usually key elements of political conventions.
Both Haley and DeSantis are potential presidential candidates beyond 2028, raising questions about whether Haley’s supporters, a moderate, would back Trump in the general election.
That they were not given a say in the first place may signal that Trump is strong enough in the Republican Party to believe he doesn’t need to worry about uniting the party, or that tensions remain between Trump and his primary rivals, who he has characterized as betrayals.
DeSantis was elected governor in 2018 with Trump’s support, but Trump said challenging him in the primary would be disingenuous. Haley served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. DeSantis challenged Trump from the right, while Haley targeted his Republican opponents. Neither candidate won many delegates.
DeSantis failed to win any of the elections, dropping out after coming in second to Trump in Iowa, the first state to vote, while Haley won the primaries in Vermont and the District of Columbia, but she continued to garner significant votes in Republican primaries even after dropping out of the race.
The protest vote against Trump raised questions about his power within the party, but President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance diminished those concerns and posed a bigger problem for Democrats.
Asked about Haley not being invited to the convention during an interview on Fox News Radio on Wednesday, Trump said, “I’ll look into it.”
“There was a lot of ill will there. She stayed out too long,” Trump said.
“I wish she hadn’t stayed so long,” he added.
Asked whether Haley’s endorsement would help him win over moderates, Trump replied, “No.”
“They’re not going to vote for Biden,” he said. “Biden is a low IQ president, so they’re not going to vote for him. They’re going to vote for Trump.”
