Donald Trump loves playing his own role in his own soap opera. He is so unusually open to making friends with people he feuded with in the past. After Ron DeSantis endorsed him, Trump said the nickname “DeSanctimonious” was retired forever. He’s done this hundreds of times.

So while I wouldn’t quite yet rule out Nikki Haley as a potential veep for Trump, I think the two figures have started saying things about each other in the past week that are more difficult to walk back. Trump’s mangling of Nikki Haley’s given name is just racist. Haley is now much more specific and dynamic in calling out Trump as too old to serve.

Again, it’s still possible to effect a reconciliation here, but it is getting more difficult.