- Nikki Haley simultaneously criticized and backed Donald Trump during an interview with CNBC.
- "I don't think he's the right president going forward," Haley said.
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley says she doesn't think Donald Trump is the "right president going forward" but will still back him if he's the party nominee.
The former US ambassador to the United Nations offered her mixed assessment of Trump during an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.
"I do think he was the right president at the right time. I don't think he's the right president going forward," Haley told CNBC's Joe Kernen.
"Why? Think about it. Chaos follows him. Everywhere he goes, chaos follows him. And in a time where we need to start getting our act together. Do we really want to go that route? I don't think we do," she continued.
However, Haley later said that she would still support Trump if he clinches the GOP's nomination.
"I'll support the Republican nominee," Haley said when pressed by CNBC's Melissa Lee.
"I think that's important that we support the Republican nominee because I think anybody is better than Kamala Harris at this point," she added, referencing President Joe Biden's running mate.
Trump has continued to command a significant lead in recent GOP primary polls, with rivals such as Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lagging behind him.
According to several polls this month, Trump has been trouncing Haley in the polls.
A representative for the Trump campaign told Business Insider that "numbers don't lie" and that the former president was beating his political opponents in the polls.
Representatives for Haley did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.