Nikki Haley Criticizes Trump, Says He Should 'Let His Experts' Speak At White House Coronavirus Briefings

Nikki Haley, former U.N. Ambassador for the Trump administration, told 'Fox & Friends' on Friday morning that “I think the president is good to show up every day and let people know he’s on [the coronavirus response], but I also think he needs to let his experts speak,” and that “I don’t think he needs to answer everything.”

Ever since Haley’s days as South Carolina’s Republican governor, she has been widely viewed as a rising star in the party, and after stepping down from her post as U.N. Ambassador in 2018, speculation ran wild that President Trump would select her as his running mate and replace Vice President Mike Pence on the 2020 ticket. The president even had to come out and publicly deny that Haley would take Pence’s spot.

Haley’s critiques follow those in a report from Thursday’s New York Times stating that “In interviews, Republican lawmakers, administration officials and members of his re-election campaign said they wanted Mr. Trump to limit his error-filled appearances at the West Wing briefings and move more aggressively to prepare for the looming recession.”

The Wall Street Journal’s conservative editorial board even criticized Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings this week, asserting that “Covid-19 isn’t shifty Schiff.” Trump subsequently lashed out against them on Twitter.

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that “I told [Trump] your opponent is no longer Joe Biden — it’s this virus,” and it is clear that Republicans are becoming increasingly concerned about the political implications of these briefings. They have watched countless governor’s approval ratings rise in response to the crisis, while the initial polling bump Trump received has begun to fall flat in comparison.

There is a clear divide between Trump and many of his Republican allies on these briefings. Many people like Haley are clearly concerned that they could be hurting Trump’s chances at reelection, while the president believes it is his opportunity to rebut any narratives he disagrees with and has fixated on the ratings these press conferences are generating.