Nikki Haley announces US 2024 presidential bid, emerges as first Republican challenger to Trump

In the first major intra-party challenge to ex-president Donald Trump, Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley on February 14 announced her bid for the US presidential elections in 2024. Haley, a former South Carolina governor and ex-ambassador of the US to the United Nations, is likely to deliver her opening campaign remarks at a public event in in Charleston on February 15.

In a video released on her social media handle, Haley made it official, stating: "I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president". The announcement marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official, who said two years ago that she would not challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024.

But she changed her mind in recent months, citing, among other things, the country's economic troubles and the need for "generational change," a nod to the 76-year-old Trump's age. In November, Trump became the first Republican leader to officially announce his bid for the 2024 presidential polls.

Haley, 51, is the first in a long line of Republicans who are expected to hit the campaign trail in the coming months. Among them are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. President Joe Biden has said he intends to seek reelection in 2024, stalling any jostling for the Democratic nomination.