Nikki Haley – The Moderate Alternative to Trump?
In the US Republican presidential candidate race, Florida Governor DeSantis has thrown in the towel. Now, the former UN ambassador Haley remains as the one positioning herself as an alternative to Trump. Nikki Haley hopes to break through in New Hampshire. With Ron DeSantis’s withdrawal, Donald Trump may feel even more confident in the race for the Republican nomination. Haley, on the other hand, says it’s the head-to-head battle she has always wanted.
“There used to be 14 people in this race. Now, there are two,” Haley said on CNN. “We keep going, we keep fighting.” Haley is used to people underestimating her, she adds.
The Idea of an Alternative
Haley is trying to present herself as a moderate alternative to Trump – tough enough to convince Trump supporters, but moderate enough to attract swing voters. And significantly younger – not only compared to Trump but especially to President Joe Biden. So, Haley emphasizes in every campaign event that 70 percent of Americans say they don’t want a repeat of the Trump vs. Biden matchup.
Daughter of Indian Immigrants
Haley herself is 52 years old – with long dark hair, a distinctive face, and was born in a small town in the state of South Carolina as the daughter of Indian immigrants. At the 2020 Republican National Convention, Haley described her childhood with the words, “My father wore a turban, my mother wore a sari.”
She was a “brown girl in a black-and-white world.” Her family experienced discrimination and difficult circumstances. “But my parents never succumbed to resentment or hate.”
Therefore, for her, it still holds true today: the United States is not a racist country – that’s something Haley repeatedly emphasizes. When Donald Trump increasingly attacks her personally, Haley counters with the words, “If he thinks I have no chance, no reason to hope, then why is he spending millions of dollars on ads against me?”
When it comes to competence, Haley highlights her political experience – as governor of South Carolina from 2011, and as Trump’s UN ambassador from 2017.
Haley is also seen as unpredictable in foreign policy
Would Haley be a predictable counterpart in foreign policy for Europeans? Not necessarily. As UN ambassador, she stood out for her relentlessness and contradictions. Regarding the current conflict in the Middle East, she said on CNN, “When I was at the UN, the topic of a two-state solution kept coming up. And Israel always came to the negotiating table. The Palestinians always rejected the two-state solution.” This is an opinion that European diplomats would strongly disagree with.
On the topic of climate change, Haley says, “I think climate change is real, we have to acknowledge it as a fact.” The problem lies in the extreme positions. “Some deny climate change. Others, like President Biden, say everyone should be driving an electric car by 2033. Americans don’t want all electric cars. Stop telling them how to live!” This is also an attempt to present herself as a centrist candidate.
Haley remains an outsider
Despite her confidence, Haley remains an outsider in the end. That’s also what Republican political consultant David Urban, who is critical of Trump, says. He emphasized on CNN, “Winning the nomination is an uphill battle if you’re not Donald Trump. It’s very, very difficult. Trump may not be the 800-pound gorilla anymore, but he’s a 600-pound gorilla in this race.” That means Trump remains overwhelmingly dominant – even for Nikki Haley.
