'Hope bending the knee was worth it': Nikki Haley mocked after Trump's 'birdbrain' barb

Social media critics mocked former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley after President-elect Donald Trump bashed her Wednesday evening, despite Haley throwing her support behind him during the campaign.

Trump proudly announced in a post to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday evening that he hired 1,000 people for his incoming administration. But he then immediately rattled off several traditional GOP figures and groups who would not be welcome to submit applications to work for him.

That includes "'Birdbrain' Nikki Haley."

"In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), 'Dumb as a Rock' John Bolton, 'Birdbrain' Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS."

"Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump concluded.

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Trump and Haley's rocky relationship dates back eight years, when she initially supported Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the 2016 Republican primaries. She later backed Trump after he won the GOP nomination, and Trump rewarded her with an appointment as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2017. She held the role until 2018.

After her departure, the duo's relationship strained, especially as she distanced herself from him following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Haley slammed Trump's response to the 2020 election and the subsequent insurrection, saying he "let us down" and that Republicans should dump him.

She then ran in the GOP primary, despite previously insisting she wouldn't if Trump ran.

All of this came to a head, with Trump unleashing attacks on Haley during the primary, including in January 2024 when he lobbed a racially charged insult at the former governor of South Carolina, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Trump repeatedly flubbed her given name, Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, referring to Haley as "Nimrada" and later "Nimbra" on Truth Social.

After winning the election, Trump announced he would snub Haley from his new administration, even though she spoke at the Republican National Convention and proclaimed, "Donald Trump has my strong endorsement. Period."

Social media critics couldn't help but notice that Haley's outward efforts didn't appear to soften Trump's stance.

"Hope bending the knee was worth it, Nikki Haley," chided political commentator and MSNBC contributor Brian Tyler Cohen.

"Amazing how much Nikki Haley got out of her RNC 2024 speech," jabbed Asawin Suebsaeng, senior politics reporter at Rolling Stone magazine.

"Another unhinged post from Donald Trump, saying he doesn’t want anyone in his administration who worked for or was endorsed by ‘Birdbrain’ Nikki Haley, ‘psycho’ Liz Cheney, and a few others. So much for those who laughably claimed Trump has ‘matured’ or is a ‘changed man,'" wrote the popular account Republicans Against Trumpism on Bluesky.

"Trump says he won’t hire 'people who worked with, or are endorsed by' a list of 11 people. 6 of the 11 are people he hired," noted Eric Columbus, a former Obama appointee.

"Nikki Haley keeps getting hit regardless of the bootlicking. In this tirade the Koch funded, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) also caught a stray. Trump's enemies list always included a hefty amount of conservatives and former Trump appointees. He's reminding yall who you are and where ya stand," mocked Democratic Strategist Ameshia Cross.

"Donald Trump can’t serve in the Donald Trump administration because he was endorsed by Nikki Haley," joked Doug Lindner, senior director of judiciary and democracy at the League of Conservation Voters.

"Nikki Haley showed her a-- endorsing Trump and he just blacklisted her from Republican politics. I'm sure the Harvard Institute of Politics has room," wrote Christian Rincon, a designer at the Center for American Progress.

"He should've been much stronger on Nikki Haley--she's the only one who sold her dignity for his second term," wrote Gary Armstrong‬, former chief marketing officer of Rolling Stone, Us Weekly, and Men's Journal.