Nikki Haley, then US Ambassador, addresses Venezuelan protesters at a protest outside the UN headquarters in September 2018. JIM WATSON (AFP)
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday that she will seek the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, coming head-to-head with her former boss Donald Trump, who is also seeking a return to the White House. “I’m Nikki Haley and I’m running for President,” the politicians announced in a video.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor who was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, will outline her campaign plans in a speech in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday. “It’s time for a new generation of leaders to rediscover financial responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, pride and purpose,” said Haley, 51, in the video.
With a humorous note, similar to Trump and so much to the liking of the Republican electorate, Haley recalls in the video his experiences in foreign policy: his seat at the UN between 2017 and 2018, when he opposed the isolationist line of multilateralism that Defined Trump’s foreign policy. “China and Russia are on the move. They all believe that we can be intimidated by kicking. Here’s what you should know about me: I hate bullies. And when you kick them back, it hurts more if you wear heels,” he warned. When she was chosen by Trump to represent the US in the organization, she lacked international relations experience.
The announcement makes Haley Trump’s first direct competitor in a field the Republican is expected to populate in the coming weeks and months with candidates all led by current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has not yet made his candidacy official. DeSantis and Trump have maintained a discreet silence in recent months — since the former’s overwhelming re-election as Florida governor in last November’s election — without disqualification or criticism. According to a poll released Tuesday, the former president leads the Republican race with 43% support, followed by DeSantis at 31% and Haley at just 4%. The Ipsos poll for Portal was conducted between February 6th and 11th.
The announcement of Haley, the daughter of wealthy Indian immigrants, begins the race for the Republican nomination, overriding the tycoon’s announcement last November. Other notable names include former Vice President Mike Pence; Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina; New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Anticipation is growing, if possible, given the likely reasons for the tycoon’s ineligibility in a hypothetical charge of incitement to attack the Capitol for his role in Georgia’s attempted pot robbery in November 2020 when the special attorney’s investigation into the Trump cases , Jack Smith, accelerate.
The balance of power between them is changing (the candidate and Scott declined to attend a magnate’s campaign rally last month). Extremely critical of the campaign that propelled her to the presidency in 2016, she has distanced herself from Trump on several occasions, later softening her rhetoric and saying her former boss had an important role to play in the Republican Party. Though he has criticized Republicans for unfoundedly questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election, he has championed several candidates who supported Trump’s false claims of voter fraud during the 2022 midterm election.
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Within the party, however, Haley has earned a reputation as a solid conservative because of her ability to approach gender and race issues with more credibility than many of her co-religionists. South Carolina is scheduled to host one of the first Republican primary elections in 2024 and will play an important role in selecting the final candidate. On Thursday, the day after Haley’s campaign launch, hopeful Scott will embark on a “faith-based listening tour of America” in Charleston. Next, he will visit Iowa, another key state for early voting.
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