Why Nikki Haley Is Running for President

[Valin]

The Free Press

A wide-ranging conversation with the woman who believes she can beat Trump. Plus: the latest episode of The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling.

The Free Press

March 8, 2023

Last month, Nikki Haley announced she is running for president. Haley is someone who has consistently proven doubters wrong: she was the first female governor of South Carolina; she has never lost a race; she’s self-made; and she survived as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during a turbulent, chaotic Trump White House without so much as a scrape.

Some see Haley a savvy, smart player of politics. She allied herself with Trump just enough to stay in his good graces—but stayed away from him just enough to appease his critics.

Her position on Trump is just one of many challenges she will have to face in the Republican primaries. Another big issue: In a post-Trump political landscape, Haley’s old-school Republican worldview might not resonate with the party’s base, which is increasingly isolationist and populist. On the flip side, perhaps she can be a breath of fresh air for the GOP: a candidate promising the kind of normalcy who—as the midterms seemed to show—voters are more than ready to support.

While speaking to the conservatives assembled at CPAC this past week, Haley delivered a message of national unity, saying: “If you’re tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation, and if you want to win—not just as a party, but as a country—then stand with me.” Does she stand a chance? 

That’s one of the many questions we asked Haley on the latest episode of Honestly.  Listen right here—and scroll down to get a taste of the conversation.

(Snip)

[Valin]

On Donald Trump:

BW: Within the Republican Party in the years since the Trump presidency, some have gone the way of Liz Cheney, and others the way of Trump, and a very small number tried to stay out of it. That’s you, I think. Do you think that strategy has worked? And how long do you think you can actually sustain this kind of avoidance when you’re running against Trump? How long do you think you can have your cake and eat it too? 

NH: It’s so funny that everybody thinks that I’m avoiding anything. I’m actually being very true to who I am. So first of all, do I agree with Trump on 100 percent of things? No. Do I disagree with Trump on 100 percent of things? No. I don’t agree with my husband 100 percent of the time either. I think there were a lot of policies that President Trump had in his administration that were great. I’m always going to praise him for that. I’m always going to tell him that I think there are things that he did that were detrimental. I have always called him out on that. People don’t understand how I do both. But isn’t that how we deal with everybody? That’s how I see it. So is there a day he’s going to call me a name? Maybe. Do I care? No. And am I going to continue to say what I think? Absolutely. And I’m going to be honest about it.

[Valin]

Mar 20, 2023
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Nikki Haley, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, on a special “Path to the Presidency” episode about why she’s deciding to enter the 2024 election race; how she tackled unemployment as governor; why the creep of socialism must be stopped; why the Republican party is no longer the party of limited government; how Republicans and Democrats work together to drive up the national debt; how the GOP enables out of control government spending; and what can be done about government waste.

 

[Valin]

 Mar 22, 2023
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Nikki Haley, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, on a special “Path to the Presidency” episode about how voter id laws can help restore confidence in national elections; her honest response to Don Lemon’s sexist comment about her no longer being in her prime: how Republicans can properly reach out to minority voters; what latino and black voters need to hear from Republicans; and how she feels about running against her friend Donald Trump.

[Valin]

Mar 23, 2023
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Nikki Haley, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, on a special “Path to the Presidency” episode about how conservatives can pursue social security reform without breaking promises to the elderly; how she feels about possibly being on the presidential debate stage against Donald Trump and Joe Biden; why she thinks voters won’t choose Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump; why US’s china policy has been a disaster; and much more.