Pitching for a strong and proud America, Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley formally launched her 2024 presidential bid on February 15, casting herself as a younger and fresher alternative to the 20th century politicians like her one-time boss and former president Donald Trump.
Ms. Haley, 51, is the two-term Governor of South Carolina and the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Addressing her enthusiastic supporters at a well-attended event here in the coastal city of South Carolina, Ms. Haley said: “I’m more confident than ever that we can make this vision real in our time – because that’s what I’ve seen my entire life. As a brown girl, growing up in a black-and-white world, I saw the promise of America unfold before me.”
In her speech, Ms. Haley leaned on her experience at the U.N., her background as the child of Indian immigrants and asserted, “Take it from me, America is not a racist country.”
Ms. Haley was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina in 1972 to Sikh parents Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, who had emigrated from Punjab to Canada and then to the U.S. in the 1960s.
She was raised as a Sikh but converted to Christianity after her marriage to Michael Haley in 1996.
“I see America leading the world – in freedom and peace. But this vision isn’t just mine. It’s the core of our nation’s history and it called to my parents over fifty years ago. I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants,” she said.
Speaking about her experiences of growing up in the U.S., Ms. Haley said: ”My parents left India in search of a better life. They found it in Bamberg, South Carolina – population, 2,500. Our little town came to love us, but it wasn’t always easy. We were the only Indian family. Nobody knew who we were, what we were, or why we were there.”
She declared: "For a strong America... For a proud America... I am running for President of the United States of America!".
"When America is distracted, the world is less safe... And today, our enemies think the American era has passed. They’re wrong. America is not past its prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs!
"We won’t win the fight for the 21st Century if we keep trusting politicians from the 20th Century. And so, I have an announcement to make. I stand before you as the daughter of immigrants – as a proud wife of a combat veteran – and as the mom of two amazing children," she said at the event with a huge 'NikkiHaley For President' backdrop.
Her formal declaration means she will be the first contender to join the contest against her former 76-year-old boss Mr. Trump, who announced his third bid for the White House late last year.
Before entering the presidential ballot, Ms. Haley has to win the Republican Party's presidential primary which will start in January next year.
The next U.S. presidential election is scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has not yet indicated if he will seek reelection.
Mr. Biden, 80, is the oldest sitting U.S. president.
"We’re ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past... And we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future!" Ms. Haley said.
Ms. Haley launched a scathing attack on Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also of Indian origin.
“On Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris’s watch, a self-loathing has swept our country,” she alleged.
“They have us spiralling toward socialism, with a new trillion-dollar spending bill every few months, and a national debt over 30 trillion dollars,” she said.
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