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Nikki HaleyBorn in 1972, Nimarata Nikki Haley (nee Randhawa) was elected to the South Carolina House of Representative as a Republican in 2004, where she served three terms. She was the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, the first woman to hold the position. Haley served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration from 2017 to 2018.
Campaign Website - nikkihaley.com |
photo source: Twitter (X)
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Military Assistance to Ukraine
Haley is in favor of military assistance to Ukraine but has said the United States should not send cash.
Response to CNN Republican Debate [34:35]. January 10, 2024
What I will tell you is, this is the lie they're telling the American people over and over again. It is so wrong to say this. They're saying you have to choose between Ukraine or Israel, or Israel and -- and securing the border. Supporting Ukraine is 3.5 percent of our budget. I don't want cash going.
"I'll tell you is we all remember what that thug did when he invaded Ukraine. We all know that half a million people have died because of Putin and here is a freedom loving pro-American country that is fighting for its survival and its democracy. No, I don't think we should give them cash. I think we should give them the equipment the ammunition to win and I'll tell you if Biden had done it when they first asked for it this war would be over. But let's also remember this when you left Afghanistan in shambles and left them with a ton of weapons and money. It's not that we left it's how we left.
..America can never be so arrogant to think we don't need friends. After 9/11 we needed a lot of friends. Now is the time to get partnerships. This unholy alliance between Russia, Ukraine, and China is real. There is a reason the Taiwanese want us to support the Ukrainians it's because they know that China is coming after them next. There is a reason Ukrainians want us to support Israelis because they know that if Iran wins, Russia win, we have to see the combination of the three."
"I don't think we need to give cash to Ukraine. I don't think we need to put troops on the ground but we need them to have the equipment the ammunition to win. I want them to know that of everything we've spent in the Ukraine, only three and a half percent of our defense budget that's it all in the name of preventing War. I want them to know that percentage of GDP, there are 11 European countries spending more than us that's a small price to pay to prevent war..
...When they realize that if Russia takes Ukraine then Poland and the Baltics are next and then we are in war because of the NATO countries. Then they understand that this is about preventing war and I will always talk about prevention of war and if Ukraine wins it sends the biggest message to China no not to go into Taiwan..."
"If you look at the fact Russia was losing that war with Ukraine, Putin had hit rock bottom, they had raised the draft age to 65, he was getting drones and missiles, drones from Iran, missiles from North Korea. And so what happened when he hit rock bottom, all of a sudden his other friend Iran, Hamas goes and invades Israel and butchers those people on Putin’s birthday. There is no one happier right now than Putin because all of the attention America had on Ukraine suddenly went to Israel. And that’s what they were hoping is going to happen."
Arms to Israel
Haley is in favor of military assistance to Israel. While not specific to weapons, she has indicated that the United States should provide Israel whatever it needs to eliminate Hamas.
"...support Israel with whatever they need, whenever they need it...The last thing we need to do is to tell Israel what to do. The only thing we should be doing is supporting them in eliminating Hamas. It is not that Israel needs America, America needs Israel. They are the tip of the spear when it comes to this Islamic terrorism and we need to make sure that we have their backs in that process."
"...If you don’t think that Israel has a right to exist, that is anti-Semitic. We will change the definition so that every government, every school has to acknowledge the definition for what it is."
Tweet on X (formerly Twitter) October 20, 2023
"Hamas has been planning this for years. We knew about the maps. We knew about the tunnels. Stand with Israel when it is hit, and stand with Israel when it hits back."
Arms to Saudi Arabia
Our research has not indicated a position on this topic. Haley has said she supports Saudi Arabia-Israel normalization.
Interview with Jewish Insider, August 11, 2023
On Biden’s efforts to secure a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia: “There’s no way it’s going to happen in the Biden White House. You don’t go and call the head of Saudi Arabia a pariah and then suddenly think they’re going to want to work with you. That’s ludicrous. He killed every chance of us doing anything with Saudi Arabia. And Saudi Arabia has shown that in the way they’ve acted back with us – doing deals with China, basically going against our currency. Will it happen in a Haley administration? Absolutely. Is it going to happen in a Biden administration? It will not. We do want it, and I think there’s an opportunity there and I think we should push hard.”
Arms to Taiwan
Haley is in favor of military aid to Taiwan. She has stated the United States should provide Taiwan with equipment to stand up to China.
When we strengthen our military, when we modernize it with the focus of cyber, artificial intelligence, and space, when we make sure that we have the backs of our friends, whether it’s in Israel, whether it’s in Ukraine, and we should be arming Taiwan. Make sure they have the equipment they need, make sure they have the training they need now. There is nothing China fears more than knowing that America will have Taiwan’s back. Let’s make sure that we show it by making sure they have the equipment they need.
"...When it comes to China and Taiwan, the one way that we keep China from going into Taiwan is, one, make sure that we win in Ukraine, that we protect our friends, but also let China know that there’ll be hell to pay if they go into Taiwan. They need to know that there is going to be a force that’s going to go against them and they need to know it’s not just going to be the United States. That is why we need to build our partnerships with India, with South Korea, with Japan, with the Philippines, with Australia. We need to start pulling that alliance together."
"When they realize that if Russia takes Ukraine then Poland and the Baltics are next and then we are in war because of the NATO countries. Then they understand that this is about preventing war and I will always talk about prevention of war and if Ukraine wins it sends the biggest message to China no not to go into Taiwan. The one thing that Russia and China were so fearful of when I was at the United Nations was a strong military we need to build up our military so strong that they never want to touch it. We need to let China know that they'll be held to pay if they touch Taiwan so are we going to defend Taiwan we will do whatever we need to to defend our friend the way we're defending Ukraine and look at the fact Taiwan wants us to defend Ukraine why does Taiwan want us to defend Ukraine because they know that if Ukraine wins China walks away and doesn't invade Taiwan. That's why there is a consensus among free democracies to make sure that we finish this that we finish it quickly and we send a message to the enemies that want to destroy us."
See also, "Time To Step Up Support For Taiwan," self-published on Medium, July 21, 2020.
Military intervention across Mexican border
Haley appears to be in favor of military intervention across the Mexican border.
"...I think we should send special operations over and take out the cartels. I think we should do a remain in Mexico policy, so they never step foot in US soil in the first place."
Response to Second Republican Presidential Debate, September 27, 2023
"It means special operations. It’s how we deal with our terrorists. And what you need to do is understand that Mexico’s not being a good partner if we lost 75,000 Americans last year. Mexico’s not being a good partner if they’re letting the cartels get away with what they’re getting away with. What we will do is we will make sure that we send in our special operations and we will take out the cartels; we’ll take out their operations; we’ll take out anything that’s doing it."
Arms Trade Treaty
Our research has not indicated a position on this topic.