Billionaire metal magnate Andy Sabin urged Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley to “walk away” from the 2024 White House race on Wednesday, arguing that she would be better served saving her remaining campaign funds for a 2028 presidential run.
Sabin, a Haley donor who has contributed more than $1.7 million to Republican campaigns in the last three election cycles, told Fox Business host Neil Cavuto that he would be “the first person to write her a check for president in 2028,” but for now, she should heed the guidance of the late country singer Kenny Rogers.
“You have to know when to hold them. You got to know when to fold them. You got to know when to walk away. It’s time for Nikki Haley to walk away,” the Sabin Metal Corporation chairman said, referencing Roger’s hit song “The Gambler.”
“There’s absolutely no upside to her going to South Carolina. And there’s a tremendous downside,” Sabin went on, noting that polls show former President Donald Trump leading Haley in the Palmetto State — where Haley was elected to two terms as governor — by more than 30 points.
“If you can’t win your own state, there’s no reason to go on,” he added, arguing that it would be “political suicide” for Haley to stay on the campaign trail after her New Hampshire primary loss.
As for the reason Haley has vowed to stay in the race past the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary, Sabin blamed the former United Nations ambassador’s consultants and staffers.
“They don’t want to lose their paychecks,” he argued. “So they tell Nikki Haley what she wants to hear, not what she should hear, and what she should hear [is] there’s no viable path to continue. You can only harm yourself by going to South Carolina and losing by 30-plus points in your home state. It’s political suicide.”
“Why not save your money, instead of giving it to these consultants and her staff, for a rainy day?” Sabin reasoned. “Whether it be 2028 or whether it be stepping in because Trump has a legal problem.”
Sabin was adamant before Tuesday’s Granite State primary that Haley “must win in New Hampshire … in order to be a viable candidate.”
Since her New Hampshire loss, Trump, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and several other Republicans have called for her to end her presidential campaign so the party can unite around the 77-year-old former president.
Sabin, who backed Trump in 2020, told The Post last year that he “wouldn’t give him a f—ing nickel” for his 2024 campaign.
However, he now says, “As long as [Trump’s] the Republican nominee, I’m going to support him.”