Nikki Haley was interviewed by Bret Baier on Fox’s Special Report on Thursday. The main takeaway from the interview was that she all but declared her intention to run for the Republican nomination for president. Early indications are that the Republican primary is going to be a bruiser and she said she is ready for it.

Haley said she will make a decision soon. The long knives are already out for her in pre-emptive strikes meant to ding her up if she does jump in. She said she has never lost a race and doesn’t plan to do so now.

“Well, when you’re looking at a run for president, you look at two things. Your first look at, ‘does the current situation push for new?’ The second question is, ‘am I that person that could be that new leader?’ You know, on the first question, you can look all across the board, domestic, and foreign policy. You can look at, you know, inflation going up, the economy shrinking, government getting bigger, you know, small business owners not being able to pay their rent. Big businesses getting these bailouts, all of these things warrant the fact that, yes, we need to go in a new direction,” Haley said.

“So do I think I could be that leader? Yes, But we are still working through things and we’ll figure it out. I’ve never lost a race. I said that then I still say that now. I’m not going to lose now,” she added.

If she thinks she is the leader we need, why not run? At one time she said that she would not run if Trump ran in 2024 but she’s changed her tune since then. She’s stating the obvious – we need younger leadership at the top. Eighty-year-old presidents are not a good thing. She worked in Trump’s administration and she knows how he acts. When Bret Baier brought that up, she said, “survival of America matters.”

She notes that a lot has happened since she first talked about running for president. The Biden years have brought about crisis after crisis. She referenced the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, high crime rates, high inflation, and foreign policy in disarray. “And when I look at that, I look at the fact if I’m this passionate and I’m this determined, why not me?” Haley said.

Haley is big friends with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Kushner is pushing for her to run. Mike Pompeo dishes some dirt about Haley in his book. I haven’t read his book but Bret Baier brought up some “gossip” that Kushner and Ivanka were lobbying Trump to replace Mike Pence as vice president with Nikki Haley. Haley denies any such conversation and points to Pence’s book, which I also have not read. Pence called Pompeo’s claim gossip. Vanity Fair published a piece that said the Kushner family is cozying up to Haley. However, Haley said in the Fox interview that she fully expects Jared and Ivanka to support Trump for president.

Kellyanne Conway confirmed that they were working together to get Pence replaced as vice president. As I said, the knives are already out against her.

Haley’s decision to jump into the primary race, if she does, will upset the most conservative of Republican voters who think she is a sell-out from her time as governor in South Carolina. She approved of the removal of the Confederate flag, for example. However, her performance as United States ambassador to the United Nations for two years was excellent. She unapologetically promoted Trump’s America First agenda and wasn’t afraid to get into dust-ups with other leaders. Pompeo criticizes her for leaving after two years in that job.

If she does decide to run, she sounds ready to face whatever is thrown at her.

BAIER: So, do you expect this to be kind of a bruising primary if you do get in?

HALEY: Listen, politics is a blood sport. It was a blood sport in South Carolina. It was a blood sport at the United Nations. There’s nothing I can’t handle.

It was an interesting interview. I was a bit surprised at how eager she seemed to get into the race. Frankly, I assumed when push came to shove, she would decide not to run against Trump and possibly DeSantis. After watching the interview, though, I expect a rowdy primary with several people willing to challenge Trump. Pompeo, Pence, and John Bolton are also sending the same kind of signals. The most important challenger to watch for, of course, is Governor DeSantis. We probably have to wait until May for his formal decision, though.