Nikki Haley, the former primary rival of Donald Trump, is set to speak at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday after initially being left off the list of speakers.
News about Haley taking the podium at the RNC came on Sunday, after the shooting incident at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, where a bullet pierced the upper part of the former president's right ear. Authorities are investigating what they viewed as an attempted assassination, reported ABC News,
Chaney Denton, the spokesperson for the former U.N. ambassador, stated that Haley was initially not among the list of speakers at the convention but was added to the schedule. A Republican official, who do not have the authority to speak publicly but who was familiar with the convention plans, confirmed the schedule change involving Haley.
According to Denton, Haley was not even invited to attend the convention, however, she issued a call for the party to unite and instructed her delegates to vote for the Republican frontrunner.
"She was not invited, and she's fine with that," Denton said last week in Fox News' report.
"Trump deserves the convention he wants. She's made it clear she's voting for him and wishes him the best," he added.
Trump has repeatedly mocked Haley, giving her the nickname "Birdbrain," but he slowed down his attacks when he became the presumptive Republican nominee in March, the Associated Press noted.
On the other hand, Haley accused Trump as causing chaos during the primary. She also did not endorse him at the time that she dropped out of the race.
It was in February when Haley launched her presidential campaign. She became the first candidate to challenge the former president, who announced his candidacy three months prior.
Despite having dropped out of the race, Haley previously made it clear that she will continue to speak out. She even got up to 20% of the votes in the Republican presidential primaries in the succeeding months after already having dropped out.
In her first public comments made in late May, counting from the time that she announced the end of her campaign, she said she would be voting for Trump and encouraged her delegates to do the same.
