Nikki Haley Will Be Donald Trump's VP | Opinion

Nikki Haley has said that Donald Trump has become significantly "diminished" in his mental capacity, is "not qualified" to be president, and is in fact "unhinged." She's accused him of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said his positions on NATO are "bone-chilling," and (following comments Trump made about Haley's deployed husband) that he is "disgusting."

Trump, for his part, has said that Haley has "gone crazy," has mocked her race and heritage by making fun of her birth name, and has implied, as he did with former President Barack Obama, that she might not really be American.

And she will be his vice presidential candidate.

Here's why.

First, despite all of Trump's vindictiveness, he's an opportunist, and one who has a history of making alliances that benefit him, even with people he's railed against as if they were his worst enemy. You might even say that for someone who has many, many, many bad qualities, it might actually be a good one: the ability to put hard feelings behind him in order to move forward. That forward movement is always for himself first and everyone else second, and he'll just as quickly abandon that person when he no longer needs them, but still ... he does do it.

When he felt the best person to lead the Trump Tower construction was Barbara Res, Trump put aside his blatant sexism and hired her. In his business career he had vicious disputes with the likes of Steve Wynn and Carl Icahn and befriended them when those disputes were over. When it comes to political rivals, Trump is generally willing to move on with just one condition: that they clearly kowtow to him.

Trump has also shown a tendency to do whatever is politically or financially expedient for him, whether it's agreeing to Supreme Court picks chosen by the Federalist Society, opting for Mike Pence as his VP candidate to secure the religious vote, or selling sneakers because he needs the money. Trump's world is entirely transactional, and Nikki Haley would be a beneficial transaction for him: She gets him some of what he needs.

What Trump needs is to secure more female and minority votes. Having Haley on the ticket can help him do that. She also gives people confidence because, despite being little more than an opportunist herself, who has few if any original ideas, she has experience and an impressive resume. Having Haley on his ticket might also allow some of Trump's white voters to feel less guilty about voting for him, despite his obvious racism and bigotry (though most of them were going to find an excuse for doing so anyhow).

Also, as Trump knows, Haley is a legitimately good campaigner and debater, who could be of great service to him. She managed to get more than 2 million votes on Super Tuesday, and even after dropping out of the race, still got 13 percent of the vote in Georgia—a state Trump might very well may need to win in order to gain the presidency. He needs Haley to bring the doubters back to him, and so he'll make a deal.

Teaming up would also make for a good story—rivals becoming a team—and Trump loves a good media story.

As for Haley, well, she's Nikki Haley, and integrity isn't really her thing. Anyone who's even a casual observer of Haley knows that she would probably sell her own mother if it meant an elevation in status. She's always dreamed of being president and becoming Trump's VP is probably her best shot. And she was willing to work for Trump before when she was already well aware of what type of person he's always been, despite her claims that he's somehow changed as of late.

These two don't have to be star-crossed lovers. They just need to be opportunists with low morals in order to partner together. And so, it's a fit! You'll see their past comments wash away as they make a deal.

The other reason this duo seems likely is the lack of other good possibilities for Trump. New York Representative Elise Stefanik? Not likeable and doesn't do much for him. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott? Ah, no. It's doubtful he'd deliver many Black votes with Barack Obama campaigning for Joe Biden and Trump probably couldn't stand working with him for four years. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders? A legitimate possibility, but she doesn't inspire the same confidence in voters as Haley and probably doesn't grow his support any. Commentator J.D. Vance? Have you seen or heard him? If so, you know the answer is no. Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake? Another one who turns people off and Trump has enough crazy already. Same for Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has no real shot of being VP.

So that leaves Haley as Trump's most likely running mate. Plus, for all his expressions of irritation about Haley, Trump probably actually has a begrudging respect for her. Trump respects those who are willing to fight with him and sees more value in them than those who simply cower. He knows that having them on his team is better than having them battling against him.

Make no mistake: Trump will go after his actual enemies with vitriol. He'd never make any sort of alliance with former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, or former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, or New York Attorney General Letitia James even if they were ever willing to do so. There are people he just hates.

But Haley isn't one of them and Trump will be willing to deal. And that deal might actually be an effective one.

Ross Rosenfeld is a political writer and educator based on Long Island. Follow Ross on Substack.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.