Haley: "Not surprised" that majority of GOP in Congress are backing Trump
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday she is "not surprised at all" that so much of the GOP congressional base is backing former President Trump.
Why it matters: The former UN ambassador remains far behind Trump in endorsements, with the former president already having secured a majority of Republican congressional support.
- The list includes South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who endorsed Trump on Friday at a rally in New Hampshire. Many pundits consider Scott's support of Trump a blow to Haley, who appointed the then-congressman to the Senate in 2012 when she was governor of South Carolina.
What she's saying: "You'll see a lot of the South Carolina legislature line up behind him, too, and it's because I've never really taken care of elected officials," Haley said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.
- The former South Carolina governor said she calls out elected officials because "they need to be accountable to the people."
- Haley said she also calls out Republicans and Democrats "when they don't do the right thing,"
- "So, it's not surprising that that set is going towards Trump because he's gonna take care of them — I'm not gonna do that — I'm gonna take care of the taxpayers," she said.
Asked why she thinks the GOP establishment isn't doing more to help her, Haley said "this is what primaries are all about."
- Haley added that this is about people getting "to decide which way they want to go forward."
Go deeper: With campaign on the line, Nikki Haley plays it safe in New Hampshire