Haley Says She Will Vote for Trump, in Her First Appearance Since Dropping Out

In her first public appearance since she dropped her Republican presidential bid in March, Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador, on Wednesday said she would vote for former President Donald J. Trump, stopping short of an official endorsement.

Speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, a conservative think tank, Ms. Haley delivered a scathing critique of President Biden and Republicans on foreign policy. During her speech, she made no mention of the elephant in the room: Mr. Trump.

But in a fireside chat afterward, the moderator, Peter Rough, asked Ms. Haley who she believed would do a better job in the White House. Ms. Haley paused before carefully continuing her answer. As a voter, she said, she would put her priorities behind a president who would have the “backs of our allies and hold our enemies to account,” secure the nation’s borders and curb the national debt.

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I’ve made that clear many, many times,” she said. “But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump.”

As Mr. Trump’s longest-standing rival in the 2024 primary contest, Ms. Haley carved out an important lane for herself as the voice for Republican and independent voters looking for an alternative to the former president. While she was included in recent chatter about Mr. Trump’s possible running mates, he recently all but ruled out the possibility of selecting Ms. Haley, who also is a former South Carolina governor.

Her decision on whether to endorse him could play a pivotal role in shaping the presidential contest.Ms. Haley, who was named the new Walter P. Stern chairwoman at the Hudson Institute, has built a formidable network of high-dollar donors and has a solid base of younger