Haley critical of Trump for words, actions after election loss, particularly those before Hill riot

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has joined the Trump political allies criticizing his words to a pro-Trump "Stop the steal" rally prior to protesters marching Wednesday to the U.S. Capitol, where some of them overran police lines and invaded the building, interrupting congressional debate about certification of the 2020 presidential election results. 

"President Trump has not always chosen the right words," Haley, a former GOP South Carolina governor and potential 2024 presidential candidate, said Thursday. "He was wrong with his words in Charlottesville, and I told him so at the time. He was badly wrong with his words yesterday. And it wasn’t just his words. His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history."

Following a deadly protest in August 2017 in Charlottesville, Va., Trump was accused of implying a false moral equivalency between left-wing and right-wing protesters who clashed at the event.

Haley made her comments at the Republican National Committee's annual winter meeting, in Florida.

Haley also told fellow Republicans the party has some tough decisions ahead, following crucial losses in the 2020 election but that blaming certain members of the party will get them nowhere, according to Politico.

"We can whine about it," she said. "We can complain about it. We can blame each other for it. Or we can do something about it."

She suggested the party embrace inclusion, especially after subpar performances in suburban areas.

"This Republican Party is a home for anyone because we stand for the principles that matter to everyone," Haley said. "This is not the time to abandon those principles. It is the time to proclaim them, proudly, from the suburbs to the cities to the farms all across the country."