- Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis to speak at Republican National Convention
- Former President Donald Trump calls for ‘unity’ after assassination attempt
- READ MORE: LIVE updates from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night formally buried the hatchet with his two toughest rivals in the 2024 primary: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Both DeSantis and Haley will address the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday night as the GOP pushes a message of “unity” following Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump.
Last week, as the former South Carolina governor was handing over her delegates to Trump, Haley’s spokesman said the former U.N. ambassador had not been invited to the Milwaukee party. Early reports also suggested DeSantis had been passed over.
But now both Haley and DeSantis have prime-time speaking slots, meaning Trump will likely be in the audience during their speeches.
Haley was the last Republican candidate remaining in the primary race after DeSantis dropped out following his embarrassing showing in Iowa and then a desperate campaign trip to Haley’s home state of South Carolina.
Former President Donald Trump’s former rival Nikki Haley conducts a sound check on stage at the Republican National Convention Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in a Moms for Liberty event Tuesday in Milwaukee ahead of his convention speech as former President Donald Trump pushes to unify the party
DeSantis immediately endorsed Trump when he dropped out.
Haley, who finished third in Iowa, stayed in the race for another five weeks, irritating Trump with her persistence.
He was unsuccessful in his attempt to beat Trump in New Hampshire, whose independent voters were most likely to give him victory.
That night, Trump lashed out at his former Cabinet member, calling her an “impostor” and telling his crowd of supporters she had a “very bad night.”
The former president was further frustrated when Haley remained in office after the South Carolina primary in late February, when he lost his home state by 20 points.
Haley ultimately dropped out of the Republican presidential primary in early March after a disappointing performance on Super Tuesday, where she lost 14 states to Trump and won only Vermont.
He initially refused to support Trump.
As other states held primaries, Haley continued to garner protest votes, including about 157,000 votes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
But when he took up his new post at the Washington think tank, the Hudson Institute, he finally stood by the former president.
“As a voter, my priority is a president who stands with our allies and holds our enemies accountable. He must secure the border, there are no more excuses,” she said at the Hudson Institute.
“Trump has not been perfect on these policies, I’ve made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a disaster. So I’m voting for Trump,” she said.
So far, it appears Haley will only give one speech at the four-day convention and then return.
DeSantis makes several appearances throughout the convention.
Before his remarks on the main stage Tuesday, DeSantis participated in a Moms for Liberty town hall on the sidelines of the convention.
Panel members for the Giving Parents a Voice conversation also included Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, and the attorneys general of Louisiana and West Virginia.
After speaking onstage at the Fiserv Forum to promote Republican Unity on Tuesday night, DeSantis will attend a breakfast with the Florida delegation on Wednesday morning.
Also on Wednesday, the Florida governor is scheduled to speak at an Iowa Republican Party luncheon in Milwaukee.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is a close ally of DeSantis and endorsed his Republican primary bid against Trump.
That didn’t help much, however, as Trump defeated DeSantis and Haley in the Iowa caucuses in mid-January.