Republican Nikki Haley hinted strongly in an interview that aired Thursday that she might run for president, though stopped short of announcing a bid.
Speaking to Fox News’ Brett Baer, the former South Carolina governor said he wasn’t going to announce his plans during the interview, hinting that it’s coming soon.
“When you’re looking at a race for president, you look at two things: You look first, does the current situation push for new leadership? Second question, am I the person who can be the new leader?” she said.
“Yes, we have to go in a new direction,” Haley said. “And I can be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”
Haley, 51, then listed her accomplishments in her career, saying that as governor, she took a troubled state and turned it into “the beast of the Southeast.” Then, she said, as ambassador to the United Nations, she “took on the world when they tried to humiliate us.”
Haley said she’s “still working through things and we’ll figure it out.”
“I’ve never lost a race,” he added. “I said it then, I say it now. I’m not going to lose now. But stick with it.”
Haley also said young politicians should enter the race. “I don’t think you need to be 80 years old to be a leader in D.C. I think we need the younger generation to come in, step up and start fixing things,” she said.
Haley served as ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump for the first two years of his presidency from 2017 to 2018. Haley often praised Trump but also criticized him. Before leaving the administration, she told NBC’s “TODAY” that she used Trump’s “unpredictable” nature to her advantage.
If she launches a presidential run, Haley will face her former boss in the GOP primary. Trump, the only president to be impeached twice, announced a third presidential campaign in November.
Before working in the federal government, Haley was the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. She previously served as a member of the state House of Representatives.