Nikki Haley Tells RNC: ‘America Is Not A Racist Country’

Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and governor of South Carolina, spoke at the first night of the Republican National Convention, declaring that America “is not a racist country” and urging Americans to support President Donald Trump.

In her speech, Haley talked about her identity as a “brown girl in a black-and-white world.” She spoke glowingly of her Indian-born parents their positive American experience, Amid national protests against racism and police violence, Haley said the conversation about race was “personal” to her but underlined that the notion about America being a racist country is a “lie.”

“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,” Haley said. “This is personal for me. I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants.”

“My father wore a turban. My mother wore a sari,” she said, while talking about her family history and childhood. “We faced discrimination and hardship, but my parents never gave into grievance and hate.”

She recalled her immigrant parents rising to success despite the challenges.

“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. “America is a story that’s a work in progress. Now is the time to build on that progress and make America even freer, fairer and better for everyone.”

She said that “every black life matters,” talking about black police officers, business owners, and children whose “lives are being ruined and stolen by the violence on our streets.”

Haley recalled her experience being the governor of South Carolina when a gunman opened fire in a black church in Charleston in 2015 and said that the country should follow the example of surviving that crisis today as well.

“After that horrific tragedy, we didn’t turn against each other. We came together, black and white, Democrat and Republican,” she said. “What happened then should give us hope now. America isn’t perfect, but the principles we hold dear are perfect.”

Haley also harshly criticized Obama administration and the Democrats, while strongly elevating the president and his administration, saying Trump “has always put America first and he has earned four more years as president.”

“Joe Biden and the socialist left would be a disaster for our economy. But President Trump is leading a new era of opportunity,” she said.

Leaving the administration in 2018, Haley had a record of disagreeing with Trump on rare occasions. She called him out during the 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, calling it “hurtful and dangerous” in her 2019 book, as Trump famously remarked there were “very fine people” among the neo-Nazi demonstrators.

Still, Haley supported Trump throughout his presidency, standing with him on being “tough” with China and Iran, while denouncing Obama and Biden for “weakness,”

“This president has a record of strength and success. The former vice president has a record of weakness and failure,” she said. “Joe Biden is good for Iran and ISIS, great for Communist China, and he’s a godsend to everyone who wants America to apologize, abstain, and abandon our values. Donald Trump takes a different approach. He’s tough on China, and he took on ISIS and won. And he tells the world what it needs to hear.”