Trump Watches As Former Rivals Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis Kiss His Ring At The RNC

MILWAUKEE — She once called Donald Trump unstable and unfit to serve a second term in the Oval Office. He once questioned the former president’s age and stamina, mocking him for losing to Joe Biden in 2020.

But on Tuesday, the second day of the Republican National Convention, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bent the knee in front of Trump, who sat in a red VIP box and ate up the scene alongside family members, dozens of elected officials and thousands of cheering RNC delegates.

It’s a redemption arc so common in the modern GOP that Trump’s own running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, followed it: He went from a staunch critic who once called Trump “noxious” and “America’s Hitler” to a loyal ally on his ticket.

The message the GOP sought to portray was clear: Unlike the Democratic Party, in its state of disarray, we are united in our effort to win the presidency and take total control of Congress in November.

Haley was met by some boos when she stepped onstage. But she quickly won over the crowd by endorsing Trump for another term, saying the country would be worse off under four more years of Biden.

“We have to acknowledge there are people who don’t agree with Donald Trump 100 percent of the time. I happen to know some of them, and I want to speak to them tonight,” Haley said. “My message to them is simple: You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him. Take it from me: I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree.”

“We have a country to save and a unified Republican Party is essential to saving her,” she added, bringing the delegates to their feet and eliciting chants of “USA.”

The former South Carolina governor, who was