Donald Trump with Nikki Haley
Donald Trump with Nikki HaleyReuters

Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Friday directly criticized former President Donald Trump for his involvement in stoking the riots on the US Capitol last month.

"We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followed him, and we shouldn't have listened to him. And we can't let that ever happen again," Haley told Politico magazine in an interview.

She expressed anger over Trump's treatment of former Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, the day of the riots, and said she hasn't spoken with Trump since then.

"When I tell you I'm angry, it's an understatement. Mike has been nothing but loyal to that man. He's been nothing but a good friend of that man. ... I am so disappointed in the fact that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence, that he would do that to him. Like, I'm disgusted by it," said Haley.

She did, however, say that she believes "impeachment is a waste of time." Asked how Trump should be held accountable, Haley replied, "I think he's going to find himself further and further isolated."

"I think his business is suffering at this point. I think he's lost any sort of political viability he was going to have. I think he's lost his social media, which meant the world to him. I mean, I think he's lost the things that really could have kept him moving," she added.

Haley stepped down from her UN role in late 2018 but had reportedly done so while on friendly terms with Trump.

It has been widely speculated that Haley is seeking a presidential run in 2024. She recently established a political action committee (PAC), further fueling speculation she could be laying the foundation for a presidential bid.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)