Family, Fickleness, and the Future: Nikki Haley’s Reflections on Running

Photo via GU Politics

TRISHA GARUD: On October 3, 2024, former UN Ambassador and former 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke at Georgetown’s Lohrfink Auditorium. Moderating was Executive Director of GU Politics Mo Elleithee, along with her former senior campaign advisor and Fall 2024 GU Politics Fellow Rick Wiley. Haley reflected on her suspended campaign, discussing her family’s unwavering support, her commitment to consistent messaging and her trust that America will heal in time. 

Haley served as the first female governor of South Carolina and US Ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump’s administration. She was most recently a candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Following the Republican Iowa Caucuses in January, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott dropped out of the race, leaving just Haley and Trump vying for the Republican nomination. Trump swept the caucuses and primaries on Super Tuesday, but Haley notably won the District of Columbia and Vermont primaries before suspending her campaign. She had battled thirteen other candidates on the campaign trail for just over twelve months, and she addressed her triumphs and struggles with Georgetown’s faculty, students, and C-SPAN viewers. 

Haley spent the first few minutes of the event praising the role of her immediate family during her campaign. She noted that she announced her run for president before learning that her husband would be deployed in Africa. Speaking to their relationship, she commented, “Michael is like my right arm…. In a political aspect, he’s always been my support.” While in Djibouti, he would wake up every night to watch her debates, and Haley’s daughter would support her in person as he used to. 

While the media in 2023 focused primarily on whether Trump would run after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, Haley says her decision to run was independent of his, believing she was the right person to be president. Reflecting on her choice to run, she commented, “Tune out that noise, make a smart decision, make sure you know you’re ready… make sure you have family support.” She recalled how she heavily considered the effect a presidential campaign would have on her family since they had experienced her grueling gubernatorial races in the past. Ultimately, Haley chose to run because “everybody wanted something newer, fresher, younger.” She said that by the end, “I knew we had done everything possible, so I was very proud and grateful to have had that opportunity.”

Recalling his time working on Haley’s campaign, Wiley asked his former boss why she uniquely chose to deliver the same stump speeches on the trail. Candidates often change their messaging day-to-day on the trail since delivering a static speech can grow boring for the candidate. Haley answered, “You have to have message discipline, it’s not about how you’re feeling that day.” Inconsistent policy rhetoric can confuse and disengage voters. Haley emphasizes that through her consistent messaging, she adheres to everything she said in the past. In fact, this was a common refrain throughout the evening, as she defended her shifts in rhetoric following the end of her campaign. 

A Georgetown student asked Haley about her previous remarks regarding Republican politicians being afraid to criticize Trump, stating that since ending her campaign, she endorsed the former president. With a boisterous reaction from the audience, the student asked her if she had become the type of politician she previously condemned, and whether she reneged on her statements. 

Haley firmly but respectfully reiterated that she stands by everything she has previously said, stating that she always means what she says. She responded that since ending her campaign, she has become an ordinary voter facing the same basic choice as the rest of us: Harris or Trump. As a Republican, she simply aligns more with Trump’s policies, adding “I’m not voting on style, I’m voting on substance.” Her endorsement does not necessarily indicate that she likes Trump personally. 

Haley ended the event by fielding questions from students mostly on her time as UN Ambassador and her experience with foreign policy. 

She offered a positive view of the future of the United States, acknowledging that while many voters believe the country has dissolved into chaos, ups and downs have always characterized the natural cycle of American politics. She said, “America has an amazing ability to self-correct…. It’s just messy right now, but I don’t think it’ll last.” She believes that even though we are close to hitting rock bottom, our country’s character guarantees we will spring back up. 

Speaking to hundreds of students, Haley warmly encouraged, “We need you involved, and we need you engaged. Whether you do it as a Republican or a Democrat, to me it doesn’t matter.”

This message of civic engagement is especially vital with only one month until Election Day. With increasing voter apathy amongst the younger generations, although much less so at Georgetown, we need the reminder that voting is our most fundamental yet powerful right. With online voter registration closing for many states soon, visit vote.org to register or request your absentee ballot today!

Trisha Garud is a staff writer from the San Francisco Bay Area for On the Record. She is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Government. Trisha is especially interested in campaign strategy and psephology.