‘Her time to speak was two months ago’: Nikki Haley criticized for speaking out against Trump’s cabinet picks after endorsing him

Nikki Haley recently slammed Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. While she offered a surprisingly strong takedown of nominees like Tulsi Gabbard, she glosses over the role she played in the mess by endorsing Trump for the presidency.

Trump’s cabinet picks have grown so outrageous that even Republicans are starting to get nervous. Americans have looked on aghast as Trump nominates Fox News host and alleged sexual abuser Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and alleged Russian asset Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. He also attempted to appoint alleged sex trafficker Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, but his nomination stirred such controversy that Gaetz withdrew from the race.

Journalists like Bob Woodward have posited that Trump is intentionally picking the least qualified and most controversial cabinet members possible in a bid to gain total power. What’s really concerning is that it’s not just Democrats and independents slamming Trump’s cabinet picks. Republicans have begun expressing concerns about the picks, too. At least nine Republican senators are expected to dissent to one or more of the nominations. However, as Republicans like Haley, who endorsed Trump, speak out, it almost feels like too little, too late.

Why is Nikki Haley speaking out now against Trump?

Haley competed for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but ultimately stepped down from the race. Upon stepping down, she endorsed Trump for the presidency and indicated she voted for him. After contributing to his winning back the White House, Haley is now sounding the alarm on his cabinet picks. On her podcast, Nikki Haley Live, she took aim at Kennedy and Gabbard’s nomination. A clip quickly went viral of her listing Gabbard’s past criticism of Trump, her defense of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, and blaming NATO for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She succinctly described all of Gabbard’s red flags and stated that the Director of National Intelligence “is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer.”

It was quite a good takedown of Gabbard. These are the facts that MAGA supporters have been adamantly ignoring since Gabbard’s nomination. Haley demonstrates that it’s possible to be a Republican and still think critically and accept facts instead of unquestioningly defending everything Trump does. At the same time, her words haven’t sat right with many, given that she endorsed Trump for President. It’s the same scenario with Senator Mitch McConnell. After endorsing Trump for president, McConnell seemingly issued a warning to Trump that he would not circumvent the Senate when it came to his nominees. While it’s comforting that these Republicans aren’t giving Trump a free pass, it seems the time to act was several months ago.

It’s not as if Republicans weren’t repeatedly warned about Trump’s alleged narcissism, desire for complete control, and potential to abuse his power. They had January 6 as a reference for what a second Trump presidency might hold. America might not have had to ever deal with the prospect of Trump’s dangerous cabinet picks if Republicans like Haley hadn’t vouched and voted for him. On X, many users spoke out against Haley, slamming her for waiting so long to speak out and pointing out her complicity in Trump’s nomination.

Throughout the next four years, it’s highly probable that many people who voted for Trump will come to regret the decision and have no choice but to speak out on his egregious actions. While it’s important that they speak out on things like Gabbard’s concerning stances on the Russian and Syrian regimes, it’s also important that they own up to their role in making these things a reality. Haley and other Republicans knew what they were signing up for by voting for Trump. Now, they need to be honest about their regret and ensure citizens understand that this is a direct result of people refusing to listen to facts and reason and not taking it seriously who they vote into power.