Trump takes jab at former GOP rival before praising her involvement with campaign: ‘Helping us already’

Former President Donald Trump highlighted during a “Fox and Friends” interview that he soundly defeated 2024 Republican presidential primary rival Nikki Haley, but that the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador in Trump’s administration is “helping” him on the campaign trail.

Trump, during an extended interview Friday morning on the popular Fox News Channel morning program, was asked by co-host Brian Kilmeade whether he has asked Haley to help him win over Republicans reluctant to support the former president.

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Trump responded. 

Donald Trump stressed that he “beat Nikki [Haley] badly” during the Republican presidential primaries during a “Fox & Friends” interview Friday morning, while also adding that his former rival is “helping” his presidential campaign.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Riverfront Sports, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Trump said when asked if he would call on Haley to join the campaign trail, going on to emphasize, “Nikki Haley and I fought, and I beat her by 50, 60, 90 points. I beat her in her own state by numbers that nobody’s ever been beaten by. I beat Nikki badly.”

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Haley launched her presidential campaign in February of last year, becoming the first major candidate to challenge Trump, who had announced his candidacy three months earlier. And she ended up being his final rival, battling the former president in a contentious two-candidate showdown from the New Hampshire primary in late January through Super Tuesday in early March.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks as she announces that she is suspending her campaign, in Charleston, South Carolina, March 6, 2024.  (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Haley announced that she was suspending her White House campaign on March 6, the day after Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday.

As she departed the race, Haley made it clear that she intended to keep speaking out. And she continued to grab up to 20% of the vote in Republican presidential primaries in the months after she dropped out.

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In late May, in her first public comments since announcing the end of her 2024 campaign, Haley said she would vote for Trump.

Haley won a total of 97 delegates during the Republican presidential primaries. And she released all of her delegates and urged them to support Trump. 

In August, in a high-profile address, Haley spoke in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Former Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ((PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images))

On Friday, Trump appeared to express some frustration regarding whether he will ask Haley to campaign on his behalf in the final stretch leading up to Election Day.

“Everybody keeps saying that. They don’t say ‘get [Florida Gov.] Ron [DeSantis] and Ron did very well,” Trump said. “But again, I beat everybody by numbers that have never happened before. And they keep talking about Nikki. Nikki, I like Nikki. Nikki, I don’t think she should have done what she did. And that’s fine that she did it.”

Trump added, “They say, ‘Oh, when is Nikki coming back?’”

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He emphasized that “Nikki is in. Nikki is helping us already….Nikki is already in, you know, she’s out campaigning.”

Sources familiar confirm to Fox News that Haley is in talks to join Trump on the campaign trail.

Up until now, Haley’s efforts to help Trump court disgruntled Republicans and others not backing the GOP presidential nominee have been limited to some fundraising emails.

While Trump retains vast sway over the GOP, even a small sliver of Republicans supporting Vice President Kamala Harris could make an important impact in what will likely be a tight race in the battleground states.

The vice president has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to court Republicans who backed Haley during the GOP primaries.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.