Karl Rove has shot down Bill Maher’s admittedly ‘crazy’ request that Nikki Haley replace Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.
The 73-year-old Fox contributor made the remarks Monday, stifling a laugh as he said ‘it ain’t ever going to happen.’
Maher, 68, made the suggestion three days before, 48 hours after 52-year-old Republican Haley bowed out of the race.
Maher, in turn, called a ticket with both Joe Biden and the ex South Carolina governor a ‘dream’ – one that would ensure a win come November.
Rove responded by throwing cold water on the commentator’s claims, calling them ‘innovative’ before ultimately shooting them down.
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The 73-year-old Fox contributor made the remarks about Nikki Haley’s political future Monday, stifling a laugh as he said ‘it ain’t ever going to happen’
Maher, 68, made the suggestion three days before, calling a Biden-Haley ‘unity ticket’ his dream. He has previously said he wants Biden to drop out of the race
‘Well, Bill Maher’s got an innovative mind,’ Rove said on Monday’s installment of The Story on Fox News, after being asked by guest host Trace Gallagher for his thoughts about Haley’s future.
‘But the Democrats are never going to get rid of Kamala Harris,’ he continued. ‘And they’re never going to put Nikki Haley, a conservative, on the ticket.’
‘So, Bill – nice thinking, but this ain’t gonna happen.’
Maher, meanwhile, has said Biden should drop out of the race altogether, citing his divisiveness within the Democratic party as well as his advanced age.
He sang a somewhat different tune Friday on Real Time with Bill Maher, calling a Biden-Haley ‘unity ticket’ a fast track to the White House.
First, he addressed how the Indian-American candidate got trounced by Donald Trump on Super Tuesday.
‘Nikki Haley, well, the Super Tuesday – got out of the race,’ the outspoken progressive began.
‘I don’t think there’s a future for her in the Republican Party now.’
He went on: ‘I know it’s crazy to think that she could run with Biden – But that’s my dream: a unity ticket.
‘And then he would, I think, definitely win.’
Roughly 48 hours before, Nikki Haley dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential race
The decision came after a humiliating Super Tuesday loss to Donald Trump, where she lost fourteen states and won just one
The Democrats are never going to get rid of Kamala Harris,’ Rove said Monday, after being asked his thoughts on Maher’s suggestion.
The assertion baffled many onlookers – those versed in the subject and some not.
Among them was Rove, who on Monday said Haley would be the first to turn down Maher’s proposition.
‘Nikki Haley would be the first to say I’m not going to do it,’ he concluded.
Meanwhile, in a victory speech on Truth Social, Trump went out of his way to take jab at the woman who many perceived as his last-standing competitor, following the abrupt exits of Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Taking to the platform Wednesday morning, he claimed the Republican firebrand ‘got trounced.
‘Nikki Haley got trounced last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries,’ he posted on Truth Social.
‘Much of her money came from radical left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50 percent, according to the polls.
‘At this point, I hope she stays in the “race” and fights it out until the end!’
Haley announced she was ending her campaign from her base in South Carolina. Yet although Trump almost swept the board with wins, his former U.N. ambassador secured more than 20 percent and 30 percent of the vote in a slew of states adding weight to her case that the Republican frontrunner does not represent all of the party.
The Biden campaign sees an opening to woo moderates and swing voters, and he appealed to her supporters to back him.
‘Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,’ Biden said.
Maher, meanwhile, ‘I know it’s crazy to think that she could run with Biden – But that’s my dream: a unity ticket.
Trump vented his thoughts on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday morning
The campaign posted its message minutes after Trump’s post, in which he both mocked Haley and tried to appeal for her supporters to join him.
‘I’d like to thank my family, friends, and the great Republican Party for helping me to produce, by far, the most successful Super Tuesday in history , and would further like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our nation,’ he concluded, in a message studded with capital letters.
For her part, Haley said Trump would have to earn her supporters’ votes. She did not endorse her former boss.
‘It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,’ she said.
‘At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.’
Her exit means Trump is assured of the nomination, although it appeared to be his for the taking since the Iowa caucuses in January.