Trump: Haley 'probably ... is not going to be chosen as the vice president'

CONCORD, New Hampshire — Donald Trump essentially ruled out former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as his pick for vice president during a rally Friday night in New Hampshire.

“She is OK, but she is not presidential timber. And when I say that, that probably means she is not going to be chosen as the vice president,” the former president and Republican frontrunner told supporters in Concord.

“When you say certain things, it sort of takes them out of play, am I right? You can’t say, 'She’s not of the timber to be the vice president’ and then say, 'Ladies and gentleman, I’m proud to announce …' That’s how it is,” Trump added.

Haley has emerged as Trump’s top-polling rival for the Republican nomination, though she is trailing him by large margins in New Hampshire, which is holding its primary on Tuesday.

Haley’s standing in the race has drawn speculation that she could be in the mix to be Trump’s running mate, should he win the nomination. As recently as last month, Trump was privately asking allies what they thought about Haley as a vice presidential choice.

But many of Trump’s closest allies — including his son, Donald Trump Jr. —have vocally come out against the idea, arguing that she is insufficiently aligned with the former president.

Haley has all but rejected the idea, saying this week that she doesn’t “want to be anybody’s vice president,” and that being vice president is “off the table."