Indian American Nikki Haley to be Trump’s running mate in 2020? US President denies

If Nikki Haley is indeed asked and agrees, she would be the first Indian American to run for vice-president and the first Indian American to become one, if the Trump ticket prevails.

As President Donald Trump flew out to fire-ravaged areas of California on Saturday, he took issue with a news report that said he is unsure of Vice-President Mike Pence’s loyalty and that his advisers have recommended outgoing US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley as his running mate for his 2020 re-election bid.

If Haley is indeed asked and agrees, she would be the first Indian American to run for vice-president and the first Indian American to become one, if the Trump ticket prevails. She will also be the first Asian-American in those very roles. Another first for the first Indian American in federal cabinet.

But there are a lot of ifs and buts in the way though.

President Trump being one of them, himself. Trump pushed back strongly in a tweet, while he was flying to California. He called the article “a phony story” and complained that the publication did not seek a quote from him, “the only one that would know”. And added, for good measure, “I can’t imagine any President having a better or closer relationship with their Vice-President then (he meant “than”) the two of us”.

The New York Times has reported that Trump has been asking White House aides and outside advisers if Vice-President Pence is loyal to him. The reasons for his doubts were not clear. But US presidents, or their aides, are known to have toyed with the idea of changing the running mate for their re-election bid. President Barack Obama’s aides had considered replacing Joe Biden, for instance, with Hillary Clinton.

Trump, likewise, has been urged by outside advisers, the report said, to consider the outgoing ambassador to the UN. The president likes her, and she is extremely close to the first daughter and adviser to the president, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and had spoken about them in glowing terms at the announcement of her exit, with Trump by her side. The president had also given Haley a warm send-off that he has rarely done for anyone leaving his administration.

Electorally, Haley could help him with women voters who have stayed away from him largely and who voted Democratic in large numbers in the mid-term elections.

But, will Haley, who is widely expected to run for the White House some day — not in 2020, she has said, — agree if asked? At a recent annual dinner in New York at which chief guests are expected to make fun of themselves and others, Haley had surprised everyone with her many barbs at the president. “Do not, under any circumstances, make any jokes about the president,” she had said she was advised before the event. And then she proceeded to do just that.

But, more importantly, is Trump willing to drop Pence? Asked at a recent news conference if Pence will be running with him, Trump said, “Well, I haven’t asked him, but I hope so.” And had asked Pence, who was in the audience, “Mike, will you be my running mate? Huh? Stand up, Mike, please. Raise your right hand. No, I’m only kidding. Will you? Thank you, okay good. The answer is yes.”

The mercurial president is not averse to changing his plans.