Nikki Haley flays Donald Trump over Capitol Hill violence, says his actions will be 'judged harshly' by history
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley has often stood by the side of President Donald Trump. There have been occasions during her stint as envoy when she found herself at odds with the Trump administration or criticizing the mercurial president’s rhetoric, but overall, she has backed much of his policy focus. However, after the violence that broke out at the Capitol Hill on January 6 when Trump’s supporters breached it to protest the 2020 presidential election, she was unforgiving.
The incumbent president has faced a severe backlash following the event that saw five people, including a police officer, losing their lives. He has been widely accused of inciting the violence. While some major social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook banned him permanently and some academic institutions rescinded honorary degrees that they had given him in the past, voices in both Trump’s Republican and opponent Democratic Party are in favor of impeaching him in whatever few days are left for him in the office. Many officials in Trump’s administration have also resigned in protest, including some in his cabinet.
According to a report in Politico last week, Haley, in a closed-door speech to the Republican National Committee (RNC) a day after the riot slammed Trump over the Capitol violence and the latter’s conduct since the 2020 presidential election which he lost to Joe Biden. The 48-year-old said the 45th president’s actions “will be judged harshly by history”.
“President Trump has not always chosen the right words. He was wrong with his words in Charlottesville, and I told him so at the time. He was badly wrong with his words yesterday. And it wasn’t just his words. His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history,” Haley reportedly said during her appearance on the second day of the RNC’s winter meeting on Amelia Island, Florida. The meeting was closed to the press and a source familiar with Haley’s remarks revealed her words.
With her criticism, Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, became the latest former member of the Trump administration to fault the president for the Capitol violence. Former chief of staff John Kelly and ex-attorney general Bill Barr, whose relations had soured during their stints in the Trump administration, also slammed the commander-in-chief in the wake of the violence that was condemned the world over. Barr called it a 'betrayal' of the presidency and also said Trump “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.”
Haley considered among frontrunners for 2024 presidential election
Haley is considered to be one of the GOP’s likely candidates for the 2024 presidential election. She has kept herself busy since leaving the Trump administration and it was also speculated at one point, ahead of last year’s election that Trump might pick Haley as his running mate in the place of Mike Pence to revive the approval numbers that had plummeted ahead of the big battle. Though that did not happen eventually, Haley has worked toward positioning herself as a national leader of the GOP.
The woman of color has been seen fundraising for GOP candidates running for both the House, Senate as well as governor’s office. She also has established a non-profit organization to promote her policy priorities besides writing editorials on foreign policy. She also has a small orbit of advisers. Haley’s memoir ‘With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace’ came out in November 2019.
That the senior GOP member was trying to don the mantle of a national leader also became visible when she said besides accusing the Democrats and tech and social media companies of “inflaming the American people’s passion beyond constructive boundaries”, also said the GOP also has a role. She pointed out that “if we are the party of personal responsibility, we need to take personal responsibility”, Politico stated in its report.
“We can and should talk about our major differences,” Haley said. “But we must stop turning the American people against each other — and this Republican Party must lead the way.”
The 2020-21 election cycle proved to be a disaster for the Republican Party as it lost both the presidency and Congress.