Tuesday, February 14, 2023 – Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday, February 14, becoming the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The announcement, delivered in a tweeted video, is remarkable given that she worked for Trump during his administration and before now was seen as an ally of his.
Also two years ago the former Governor stated she wouldn’t challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024. But citing thr country’s economic troubles and the need for ‘generational change,’ she decided to enter the ring.
‘You should know this about me. I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels,’ Haley said. ‘I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m running for president.’
Haley, 51, is the first in a long line of Republicans who are expected to launch 2024 campaigns in the coming months. Among them are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
President Joe Biden has said he intends to seek reelection in 2024.
Haley has regularly boasted about her track record of defying political expectations, saying, ‘I’ve never lost an election, and I’m not going to start now.’
If elected, Haley would be the nation’s first female president and the first U.S. president of Indian descent.
In the three-and-a-half minute video, Haley referenced that past, saying she grew up ‘not Black, not white ‘ I was different.”
In the three-and-a-half minute video, Haley referenced that past, saying she grew up ‘not Black, not white ‘ I was different.’
Despite that, Haley insisted that America is not a racist country: ‘Nothing could be further from the truth.’ Playing in the background of her video were images of media reports related to The New York Times Magazine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘1619 Project’ ‘ which centered the country’s history around slavery.
Haley never mentions Trump by name in the video, instead saying ‘the Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again,” Haley leans into a call for ‘a new generation of leadership,’ which has become the refrain of her messaging leading up to the launch.
She was an accountant when she launched her first bid for public office, defeating the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House in 2004. Three terms later, Haley mounted a long-shot campaign for governor against a large field of experienced politicians.
She racked up a number of high-profile endorsements, including from the sitting South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
With her 2010 victory, Haley became South Carolina’s first female and minority governor and the nation’s youngest at 38. She earned a speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention and gave the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union in 2016.
In the 2016 presidential primary, Haley was an early supporter of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, later shifting to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. She ultimately said she would back the party’s nominee.
Shortly after Trump’s victory, he tapped Haley to be his U.N. ambassador.
Watch video below
Get excited! Time for a new generation.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 14, 2023
Let’s do this! 👊 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BD5k4WY1CP
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