Nikki Haley says Americans too 'smart' to vote for 'convicted' Trump after she vows to support him

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley defended her pledge to support Donald Trump if he is the GOP nominee despite claiming Americans are too "smart" to vote for a convicted felon.

Although Trump has pleaded not guilty in four criminal cases, CBS host Robert Costa asked Haley if she would stand by her vow to support the Republican nominee even if he was convicted.

"When you were on that debate stage in Milwaukee, which has earned you some good reviews inside of the party, inside of the Republican Party, you raised your hand, said you would still support him if he was convicted of a crime, and the nominee next year," Costa noted. "Do you stand by your decision to hold up your hand on stage and back Trump, should he be the nominee and be a convicted felon?"

"What you saw were candidates on that stage said that they would do exactly what they signed and pledged to do, which is support the Republican nominee," Haley replied. "I don't think President Trump's going to be the nominee. I think it's going to be me. But I will tell you that any Republican is better than what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are doing."

"But you are implying that the American people are not smart," she continued. "The American people are not going to vote for a convicted criminal. The American people are going to vote for someone who can win a general election."

Haley reiterated her plan to support the Republican nominee regardless of their crimes.

"And so I think that, yes, I will support the Republican nominee always," she said. "And I will make sure that that person, we're going to pick someone that's going to beat a President Kamala Harris, because we can't have a President Kamala Harris or we'll never get our country back."

Watch the video below from CBS.