Meeting Presidential Hopeful Nikki Haley

June 2, 2023

A true pleasure to help kickstart Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign today in New York City. The former governor of South Carolina and ex U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she is the first female governor to run for president. If elected, Ms. Haley would become the first female president of the United States and would also become the first Indian American president. Ms. Haley is the first woman of color to be a major contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

In January 2016, the House Republican Conference announced that Haley would give the English Republican Response and stamina to the State of the Union address, furthering at the time the vice-presidential rumors.

In 2016, then President-Elect Donald Trump nominated Ms. Haley to the position of U.N. Ambassador on November 23. During her tenure as U.N. ambassador, there was speculation that she was using the position to gain foreign policy experience in preparation for a future presidential candidacy. This speculation was motivated by the open policy disagreements Ms. Haley and the Trump administration experienced.

After Haley's announcement, the Council on Foreign Relations called her foreign policy one of a "traditional, tough-minded Republican approach to foreign policy". Haley has stated that the United States must remain the global superpower. To that end, she pledged to combat the influence of China and Russia on the international stage. Haley has taken a strong stance against alleged Chinese influence in domestic and international affairs, calling China the top threat to the United States. She called the Biden administration's response to the 2023 Chinese balloon incident a national embarrassment.

In an opinion article published in the New York Post on February 24, 2023, Ms. Haley vowed to "cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate [the United States]". She listed Iraq, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, China, and Cuba as such countries, and labeled them enemies of the United States.

Ms. Haley has pledged her support for the American military aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. She has said that opposing Russia in Ukraine is a vital interest for the United States. She argues aid is necessary to prevent further invasions by Russia or China into other nations that would spark a world war. In a February 2023 interview and during campaign stops in Iowa and New Hampshire Haley said, "The war in Ukraine and Russia is not about Ukraine; it's about freedom — and it's a war we have to win. She suggested the United States should supply Ukraine military equipment rather than money. Ms. Haley criticized the Biden administration for "emboldening" Putin's desire to invade Ukraine during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Romania American Business Council has pledged its full support for governor Haley’s quest for the White House.