On Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley stated that she would pardon former president Trump if elected, citing the need to do what is "in the best interest of the country."

A video recorded by NBC News shows Haley saying, "I would pardon Trump," during a campaign rally, as The Hill reported.

In the event that he is found guilty, Haley emphasized that a leader must consider what is best for the country.

“If he is found guilty, a leader needs to think about what’s in the best interest of the country,” Haley said. “What’s in the best interest of the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail, that continues to divide our country. What’s in the best interest of the country would be to pardon him, so that we can move on as a country and no longer talk about him,” she added.

In the event that the former president were to be found guilty of a crime while she was in office, Haley has already stated that she would be "inclined" to pardon Trump, who is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, but confirmed her opinion in the recent speech.

National Polling

An uptick in Haley's polls has not changed the fact that former president Trump still has a more than 50-point advantage among Republican contenders.

The nationwide polling average of GOP primary polls, as reported by Decision Desk HQ/The Hill, shows that Trump has 63.1% support, Haley 10.8%, and Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, 10.6%.

A total of ninety-one counts are levied against Trump over four separate criminal prosecutions.

Two federal indictments were filed against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. One alleges that Trump attempted to rescind the 2020 presidential election results. The other alleges that Trump willfully retained national security secrets at his home after leaving office.

In addition to the 2020 election-related allegations in Georgia, he is also facing further charges in a New York case involving hush money payments to an adult film star.

Criticism for Haley

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, blasted Haley on Friday for making the comments before the trial in the case of Trump's alleged influence with the election had even begun, as Axios reported.

During a campaign rally on Wednesday, Christie mostly attacked Haley for not stating that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, but he has criticized her multiple times in the past few days.

"Well, what that should tell the American people is that she believes in two systems of justice: one for all of us and one for the most powerful," said Christie.

Christie blasted Haley on Thursday for not publicly ruling out a possible role in a Trump administration two. According to Christie, her position was "insulting."