Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announced her 2024 presidential campaign in a video Tuesday, becoming the first major Republican to officially challenge former President Donald Trump.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina was slated to hold an event Wednesday in South Carolina to make a special announcement, which was assumed to be about her 2024 presidential bid. In a campaign announcement video posted to her Twitter account, she called for a “new generation of leadership.”
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“We must turn in that direction again. Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections,” she said. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership to rediscover fiscal responsibility to secure our border and strengthen our country our pride.”
Trump, her onetime boss, has already begun taking aim at Haley from his Truth Social account, posting an old clip of her in which Haley said she would back him in 2024. In her announcement video, Haley cast herself as more of a traditional Republican candidate for president.
Throughout the video, she called for a slew of go-to topics for conservatives such as fiscal responsibility, patriotism, and more robust border security.
“I was a proud daughter of Indian immigrants. Not black, not white. I was different. But my mom would always say your job is not to focus on the differences, but the similarities. And my parents reminded me and my siblings every day how blessed we were to live in America,” Haley said.
Haley founded the Stand for America group after her departure from the Trump administration and her campaign will now be titled Nikki Haley for President.
Underlying her campaign launch message was an optimistic tone about the United States despite its troubles. She also warned that impending threats from the “socialist left” as well as China and Russia loom large while positioning herself as a fighter against them and alluding to her status as a female contender.
“They all think we can be bullied, kicked around. You should know this about me. I don’t put up with bullies and when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels,” she quipped.
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Haley is not the only South Carolinian speculated to enter the 2024 fray. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has also been gearing up for a potential run. Haley appointed Scott to a vacant Senate seat in 2012, which laid the groundwork for his meteoric rise within the GOP.
Aside from Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is also widely speculated to be a top Republican primary contestant. Polling has shown that Haley’s entrance into the arena could be more beneficial for Trump than DeSantis.
The Washington Examiner contacted Haley’s team for comment.
