Nikki Haley says 'America is NOT a racist country' and that Trump will build a US where 'every black life matters' - including African American cops killed on the job - as she positions herself for 2024 run
- Former United Nations Amb. Nikki Haley proclaimed that the United States is not a racist country during the first night of the Republican National Convention
- 'In much of the Democratic Party, it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie,' Haley said. 'America is not a racist country'
- Haley, the 48-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, spoke from the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium in Washington, D.C.
- 'I was a brown girl in a black and white world,' Haley said, adding that her parents were able to build a successful life in the American south
Former United Nations Amb. Nikki Haley proclaimed that the United States is not a racist country as she also helped to diversify the first night of the Republican National Convention.
'In much of the Democratic Party, it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country,' said Haley, speaking from the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium in Washington, D.C.
The 48-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants noted her father wore a turban and her mother a sari. 'I was a brown girl in a black and white world,' Haley said.
Former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley addressed Monday night's Republican National Convention and proclaimed that America was 'not a racist country'
The 48-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants called Democrats saying the country is racist 'personal' to her, as she explained how her parents were able to build a life in the American south
'My mom built a successful business. My dad taught 30 years at a historically Black college. And the people of South Carolina chose me as their first minority and first female governor,' Haley said.
She cited her successful efforts to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol grounds following the 2015 massacre of nine Black churchgoers in Charleston by a white supremacist.
But she avoided mentioning the word 'Confederate,' instead calling the flag a 'divisive symbol.'
Since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump has pushed to keep Confederate statues erect and retain Confederate names on military bases, moves that showed his aversion to the 'Black Lives Matter' protests.
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'And of course we value and respect every black life,' Haley said Monday night.
'Black cops who have been shot in the line of duty, they matter. The black small business owners who watch their lives' work go up in flames, they matter,' she continued. 'he black kids that have been gunned down on the playground, their lives matter, too. And their lives are being ruined and stolen by the violence on our streets.'
Haley didn't mention black Americans who have been killed by the police, which inspired months of protesting around the U.S. and globe.
Haley's speech on opening night of the four-day Republican National Convention stoked further speculation that she would run for the GOP nomination in 2024.
She was a rising Republican star when Trump tapped the then-South Carolina governor to become ambassador to the United Nations in 2017.
Amb. Nikki Haley spoke from the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium in Washington, D.C., the site of many Republican National Convention speeches thus far, as the RNC, like the Democratic convention, also had to provide 'virtual' programming due to the coronavirus pandemic
Haley, who left her U.N. post in late 2018, has achieved prominence as a woman of color in a party that has struggled to win the votes of women and minorities.
She praised Trump for taking on Iran, China and North Korea, while supporting allies like Israel.
Critics have accused the president of cozying up to U.S. adversaries such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while alienating NATO allies.
Republicans on Monday nominated Trump for a second term as he faces Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election.
Haley added the United Nations was not for the faint of heart and was a place where dictators put their hands out and ask for Americans to pay their bills.
'Well, President Trump put an end to all that. With his leadership, we did what Barack Obama and Joe Biden refused to do. We stood up for America ... and we stood against our enemies,' Haley said.
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