Trump seems oddly relaxed about Republican rival Nikki Haley | Arwa Mahdawi

Ron DeSantis would supposedly be disloyal' if he challenged Trump for the White House. Haley, meanwhile, should do it'. Guess who's a bigger threat?

Has Donald Trump taken up meditation as his new year resolution? Is he mainlining sedatives? Did a demon snatch his soul and replace it with that of a reasonable person? I ask because the unthinkable has happened: Trump has responded to the idea of one of his former acolytes challenging his 2024 ambitions in a calm and measured manner, instead of with his usual insults.

The acolyte in question is Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and Trump's US ambassador to the UN. There are mounting rumours that Haley is exploring a potential run against Trump in 2024 - a fact that doesn't seem to bother her old boss very much. Speaking to reporters on his plane on Saturday, Trump said Haley had called him up to chat about running and he'd told her: Go by your heart if you want to run." To be fair, he couldn't resist a little dig, noting Haley had publicly said that I would never run against my president - he was a great president.'" Still, he magnanimously told her she should do it".

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist