Indian-American politician Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she is planning to vote for Donald Trump despite the former president “has not been perfect” on policies important to her, but President Joe Biden “has been a catastrophe.”
Haley gave her first speech on national security and foreign policy since leaving the presidential bid in the middle of the race for the presidency at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.
Haley said, “Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I’ve made that clear many, many times.”
“But Biden has been a catastrophe.”
“So I will be voting for Trump. Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech.”
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Haley emphasized the need for Trump to earn the support of her voters
This comes after Haley, who had quit the presidential race more than two months ago, did not endorse Trump during her earlier campaigns. She had called on Trump to “earn the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him.”
However, the sentiment of the former hopeful is not a clear call for endorsement here, but an expectation for Trump to include the millions of voters who want her in their lives.
“Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him,” she said.
Her support for Trump came at the same time as her new position as the head of the conservative Hudson Institute as the Walter P. Stern professor. This fact can be explained by the fact that, during her speech, she criticized the trend towards the isolationist party within the Republican Party.
She lambasted President Joe Biden’s foreign policy.
On Wednesday, Haley came out heavily on both parties’ different policies
Former United Nations Ambassador said, “A loud part of each party wants us to abandon our allies, appease our enemies, and focus only on the problems we have at home.”
“This worldview has already put America in great danger — and the threat is mounting by the day.”
The Biden campaign responded swiftly to Haley’s comments, asserting that there remains a segment of GOP voters who reject “the chaos, division and violence that Donald Trump embodies.”
Biden spokesperson Michael Tyler stated, “Nothing has changed for the millions of Republican voters who continue to cast their ballots against Donald Trump in the primaries and care deeply about the future of our democracy, standing strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, and working across the aisle to get things done for the American people.”
Former Governor of South Carolina’s preview of her role leading up to the November election highlights her unique position. As she criticizes Biden, she also champions an interventionist foreign policy—one that aligns with her support for Israel. She plans to visit Israel soon to demonstrate her backing for the Israeli people.
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During her Wednesday speech speech, Haley commended House Speaker Mike Johnson for securing military aid for Ukraine and accused fellow Republicans “to push Ukraine off a cliff”.
“Republicans are wrong when they say we have to fix the border before doing anything else,” she said.
“We shouldn’t pretend we can only solve one problem at a time.”
Haley slammed Biden’s recent policy to stop supplying ammunition to Israel amidst the ongoing conflict as “foolish”, and according to her, this decision is “dragging out a war, emboldening terrorists, and making other wars more likely.”
Haley pointed out the consequences of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. She sees it as a catalyst for emboldening Iran and Russia, emphasizing, “Joe Biden’s legacy is already clear. He will go down in history as the commander-in-chief who refused to stop our enemies.”
