127 Facts About Nikki Haley

Nimarata Nikki Randhawa Haley is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th US ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018.

Nikki Haley was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.

Nikki Haley joined her family's clothing business before serving as treasurer and then president of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Nikki Haley was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004 and served three terms.

Nikki Haley was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, making her the state's first female governor and the second US governor of Indian descent, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

In January 2017, Nikki Haley became the US ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of Donald Trump.

Nikki Haley stepped down as ambassador on December 31,2018.

Nikki Haley announced her campaign for President of the United States in February 2023.

Nikki Haley campaigned directly against Trump for almost two months.

Nikki Haley became first female Republican presidential candidate to win a presidential primary after her victory in the Washington DC primary.

Nikki Haley founded a successful women's boutique, Exotica International, where she began to work full time.

Nikki Haley was named to the board of directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003.

Nikki Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003, and president in 2004.

Nikki Haley chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for a local hospital.

Nikki Haley served on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff's Foundation, and West Metro Republican Women.

Nikki Haley was the president of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and was chair for the 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign.

In 2004, Nikki Haley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 87 in Lexington County.

Nikki Haley ran in the Republican primary on a platform of education reform and property tax relief.

Nikki Haley became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.

Nikki Haley was unopposed for re-election to a second term in 2006.

Nikki Haley was elected chair of the freshman caucus in 2005 and majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly.

Nikki Haley was the only freshman legislator who had been named to be a whip at the time.

Nikki Haley voted against a proposed cigarette surtax three times.

Nikki Haley voted for a bill that raised sales taxes from five cents per dollar to six cents per dollar, exempted sales tax on unprepared food such as canned goods, and exempted property tax on "owner-occupied residential property" except for the taxes due from what is still owed on the property.

Nikki Haley was named a "Taxpayer Hero" by Governor Mark Sanford in 2005 and a "Friend of the Taxpayer" by the South Carolina Association of Taxpayers in 2009.

Nikki Haley implemented a plan in which teachers' salaries would be based on not only seniority and qualifications but job performance, as determined by evaluations and reports from principals, students, and parents.

Nikki Haley supports barring legislators from collecting legislative pensions while in office.

Nikki Haley believes such pensions should be based on only the $10,400 legislative salary instead of the salary plus lawmakers' $12,000 annual expense allowance.

Nikki Haley has stated that, as a daughter of immigrants, she believes the immigration laws should be enforced.

Nikki Haley voted in favor of a law that requires employers to be able to prove that newly hired employees are legal residents of the United States, and requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving that they are legally in the United States.

Nikki Haley describes herself as pro-life and has supported legislation to restrict abortion.

In 2016, as governor, Nikki Haley re-signed a new state law that bans abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy.

On May 14,2009, Nikki Haley announced that she would run for the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election.

Nikki Haley had been persuaded to run by incumbent governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford.

Nikki Haley was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, as well as Jenny Sanford, the first lady of South Carolina.

Nikki Haley received the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin three weeks before the primary.

When she received Palin's endorsement, Nikki Haley was trailing three other candidates in the polls.

Nikki Haley faced a challenge in the Republican primary from Tom Ervin, who later withdrew and reentered the race as an independent.

Nikki Haley said that she would turn down any potential vice presidential offer.

Nikki Haley endorsed powerful senate finance chairman Hugh Leatherman's primary opponent in 2016.

Nikki Haley delivered the official Republican response to President Barack Obama's 2016 State of the Union Address on January 12,2016.

In 2016, Nikki Haley was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Nikki Haley was mentioned in January 2016 as a potential candidate for vice presidency in the 2016 presidential election.

On May 4,2016, after Trump became the presumptive presidential nominee, Nikki Haley said she had no interest in the vice presidential nomination.

Nikki Haley was initially against having a Democrat serve as the second-in-command to the governor, but she, along with the Senate, eventually acquiesced.

On December 17,2012, Nikki Haley announced she would appoint Tim Scott to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Senator Jim DeMint, who previously announced that he would retire from the Senate to become the president of the Heritage Foundation.

Nikki Haley chose Scott over others on her short list, including Representative Trey Gowdy, former South Carolina attorney general Henry McMaster, former First Lady of South Carolina Jenny Sanford, and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Catherine Templeton.

In July 2013, Nikki Haley was fined $3,500 by the State Ethics Commission and given a "public warning" for failing to report the addresses of eight donors during her 2010 campaign for governor.

In July 2015, Nikki Haley signed a bill to authorize removing the Confederate flag from the flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol.

In regard to the state trial of Roof, Nikki Haley urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against him.

Nikki Haley said that the legislation was unnecessary and would not solve any identifiable problem in the state.

Nikki Haley was the first Indian American to hold a Cabinet-level position.

Immediately following her confirmation by the US Senate, Nikki Haley resigned as South Carolina governor, and Lt.

Nikki Haley was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on January 25,2017.

Nikki Haley met with United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres on January 27,2017, at the UN Headquarters in New York City.

Nikki Haley defended the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, a move later reversed, as the Biden administration reentered the agreement.

Later that year, Nikki Haley said the US would retain "strong and tough" sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Ukraine.

On March 30,2017, Nikki Haley stated that the US would no longer focus on forcing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to leave power.

Security Council a day after the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Nikki Haley said Russia, Assad, and Iran "have no interest in peace" and attacks similar to this would continue occurring should nothing be done in response.

Nikki Haley called the strike a "very measured step" and warned that the US was prepared "to do more" despite wishing it would not be required.

In September 2017, Nikki Haley stated that "some countries", a reference to Russia, although Nikki Haley did not refer to Russia by name, were shielding Iran by blocking the International Atomic Energy Agency from verifying Iranian compliance with the international nuclear agreement with Iran.

Also in December 2017, Nikki Haley accused Iran of backing the Houthi rebels in the Yemeni Civil War, in which the Houthis were fighting the Saudi-backed Hadi government.

On March 15,2017, Nikki Haley said she would not support a ban on Muslim immigration to the US should President Trump choose to enact one, but argued that Trump's proposal was not a Muslim ban.

Nikki Haley said the US military could be deployed in response to any further North Korean missile tests or usage of nuclear missiles and that she believed Kim Jong-un understood this due to pressure by both the US and China.

Security Council approved a resolution adding fifteen North Koreans and four entities linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs to a sanctions blacklist, Nikki Haley said the council's vote was "sending a clear message to North Korea today: Stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences".

Nikki Haley traveled to some countries that voted "No," such as Guatemala and Honduras, and thanked them for their support in the emergency special session.

In July 2017, after the UNESCO voted to designate the Hebron's Old City and the Cave of the Patriarchs as Palestinian territory as well as endangered World Heritage Sites, Nikki Haley called the choice "tragic on several levels" in a statement.

In September 2017, Nikki Haley said that her government was "deeply troubled" by reports of atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

In October 2017, the federal Office of Special Counsel determined that Nikki Haley had violated the federal Hatch Act in June 2017 by retweeting Trump's endorsement of Ralph Norman, a Republican candidate for Congress in South Carolina.

Nikki Haley deleted the retweet after a complaint was filed by the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In October 2018, Nikki Haley raised the issue of China's re-education camps and human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority.

Trump heaped praise on Nikki Haley, declaring she was "special to me" at the Oval Office meeting where her resignation was announced, emphasizing that she was not leaving on bad terms.

Nikki Haley even raised the possibility she might rejoin the administration later "in a different capacity".

Nikki Haley wielded more influence than Rex Tillerson, then secretary of state, during the first year of the Trump administration, acting almost as a "shadow secretary of state".

On this theory, Nikki Haley left on her own terms after seeing her influence shrink after Pompeo was appointed secretary of state.

Nikki Haley's resignation was announced one day after the anti-corruption watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington accused Nikki Haley of accepting seven luxury private plane trips as gifts from South Carolina business leaders.

Nikki Haley listed these seven flights as gifts on a 2018 financial disclosure, claiming they were not ethics violations because they were from personal contacts.

In 2019, Nikki Haley created a new 501 advocacy group, Stand for America.

In February 2019, Nikki Haley was nominated to the board of directors of Boeing, elected at the annual shareholder meeting in April 2019.

Nikki Haley had previously fought a unionization effort at Boeing South Carolina plant in North Charleston, where the 787 Dreamliner is produced.

In March 2020, Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she disagreed with the company's decision to request federal bailout funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nikki Haley supported Trump's January 2020 killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

On January 8,2021, Nikki Haley condemned Twitter's controversial decision to suspend Trump from its platform in the aftermath of the Capitol riots.

In early 2021, Nikki Haley created a PAC to endorse and support candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.

Nikki Haley hired former NRSC political director Betsy Ankney to be the executive director.

In October 2021, Nikki Haley was selected to replace David Wilkins for a lifetime position on the Clemson University Board of Trustees.

In June 2016, on the one-year anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church shooting, Nikki Haley warned that Trump's rhetoric could lead to violent tragedy.

Nikki Haley received extensive press coverage for saying "bless your heart" in response to an attack by Trump.

Nikki Haley called Trump's actions around the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol "not his finest," but opposed Trump's second impeachment, criticizing Democrats and journalists on Fox News's The Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham.

Nikki Haley went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followed him, and we shouldn't have listened to him.

Nikki Haley repeatedly said that she would support Trump in 2024 if he received the Republican nomination, even if he were to be convicted of criminal charges.

Nikki Haley asserted that Trump cannot win a general election.

On May 22,2024, Nikki Haley said she would vote for Trump.

In July 2022, Nikki Haley hinted at a potential run for the 2024 United States presidential election during her speech at the Christians United for Israel summit in Washington, DC Her strong stance against any potential Iran nuclear deal resonated, as she asserted her readiness to "shred" such an agreement on her first day in office.

On February 14,2023, Nikki Haley formally announced her candidacy, becoming the second major candidate to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, following Trump's earlier announcement.

Nikki Haley's candidacy marked a historic moment as she became the fifth woman and the first woman of color to contend for the Republican presidential nomination.

In November 2023, Nikki Haley solidified her position in the race by receiving the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity Action, an organization connected to the Koch network.

In early January 2024, CNN reported that Nikki Haley had polled within single digits of Trump in New Hampshire.

On March 6,2024, Nikki Haley announced the suspension of her campaign.

Nikki Haley is the first woman to have won a state or territorial Republican presidential primary contest.

Nikki Haley has said she supports "freedom" regarding same-sex marriage, but opposes the participation of trans women in women's sports.

Nikki Haley was the third candidate, after Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy, to sign a placard circulated by the Concerned Women for America that stated "only women can be pregnant and bear children".

Nikki Haley met with Caitlyn Jenner at the UN in 2017 while US ambassador to discuss "global LGBT issues".

In 2021, when a comment on social media mocked the meeting, Nikki Haley responded, "Caitlin came to see me at the UN and I appreciated her conservative views".

Nikki Haley has supported a TikTok ban, citing the app's ties to the Chinese government.

On fiscal policy, Nikki Haley has indicated that she would be willing to make significant budget cuts, including to Medicare and Social Security.

Nikki Haley has called for raising the retirement age for future Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries and supports means-testing the programs.

Nikki Haley criticized both the pandemic relief act enacted by Democrats in 2021 and the initial pandemic relief act enacted by Republicans and signed by Trump in March 2020.

Trump has called Nikki Haley "birdbrain," criticizing her at a 2023 election rally for breaking the promise she made him that she would not oppose him for the party's presidential nomination if he ran again.

Nikki Haley has acknowledged that climate change is caused by human activity, but has rejected policies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Nikki Haley has pledged, if elected, to again withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, revoke regulations restricting fossil fuel production and curtailing pollution from power plants and vehicles, and eliminate renewable energy subsidies.

Nikki Haley criticized the Biden administration's decision to allocate funds appropriated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal to create a national electric vehicle charging network.

Nikki Haley said that Biden had not done enough on Ukraine, but did not detail what she would do differently as president.

Nikki Haley has faced criticism for her hawkish foreign policy positions as well as her positions on censoring and controlling social media and calling for the end of anonymous social media accounts.

In February 2023, Nikki Haley announced that she supports congressional term limits and "mandatory mental competence tests for politicians over 75 years old," which received mixed feedback from US senators.

Nikki Haley opposes labor unions and has called herself a "union buster".

Nikki Haley will serve as the next Walter P Stern Chair.

On May 11, Trump confirmed that Nikki Haley was not under consideration to be his running mate in the 2024 election.

Nikki Haley faced controversy due to Israel being accused of genocide.

Nikki Haley compared the American loss of authority in Afghanistan and the ongoing violence in the Middle East to the way that Taiwan is treated by the People's Republic of China, drawing comparisons to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Nikki Haley joined the global communications firm Edelman as vice chair of its international public affairs team in September 2024.

Nikki Haley converted to Christianity in 1996, when she was baptized before her wedding at St Andrew's by the Sea United Methodist Church, and converted due to the language barrier as she did not understand Sikh prayers.

Nikki Haley visited and prayed at the Harmandir Sahib with her husband in 2014 during her visit to India.

Nikki Haley was inducted into the Order of the Palmetto in 2010.

Nikki Haley has two honorary degrees: a Doctorate of Humanities from Clemson University and a Doctorate of Public Service from the University of South Carolina.

In 2013, Nikki Haley received an honorary 4th-dan black belt in Taekwondo.

Nikki Haley has received awards from India Abroad, the International Republican Institute, Christians United for Israel, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Hudson Institute, the Independent Women's Forum, UN Watch, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Enterprise Institute, and the World Jewish Congress.