Nikki Haley, the Indian-American Republican leader who placed third in the Iowa caucuses, stated that the United States has never been a “racist country” and that their objective is to ensure that “today is better than yesterday,” according to CBS News.
Haley said this in response to Joy Reid of MSNBC asking if she thought Haley would be able to get the Republican Party candidacy. Fox News said that Reid “can’t picture” Haley as the GOP contender in 2024 because she has accused Republicans of being an “anti-immigrant” party.
Brian Kilmeade of “Fox & Friends” questioned Nikki Haley on the Republican Party’s racial nature, and she responded, “No, we are not.” She went on, “Our nation is not racist. Our nation has never been racist. Ensuring that today is better than yesterday is our aim. Are we faultless? No, but we constantly want to strive to be the best version of ourselves every single day.”
Watch the video below for more details:
Nikki Haley: "We've never been a racist country" pic.twitter.com/qcB0wTjvJS
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 16, 2024
Haley, who was raised by Sikh immigrants in Punjab, India, has talked about facing discrimination all of her life. She told The New York Times in 2011 that she was disqualified from a beauty pageant at the age of five for not fitting into a predetermined racial group.
Former GOP state senator Jake Knotts was ordered to step down in 2010 during Haley’s campaign for governor of South Carolina after he called Haley a “raghead” because of her Sikh heritage.
Similar and inconsistent denials of the country’s racial past were expressed by Haley at the 2020 Republican National Convention. “America is not a nation of racists. I take this personally,” Haley remarked.
Haley has talked about her experiences with discrimination throughout her life. She is the daughter of Sikh immigrants from Punjab, India. When she was five years old, she was disqualified from a beauty pageant because she did not match a predetermined ethnic stereotype, as she revealed to The New York Times in 2011.
When Haley was running for governor of South Carolina in 2010, former GOP state senator Jake Knotts was ordered to step down for calling Haley a “raghead” due to her Sikh heritage.
