Gov. Nikki Haley on Tuesday evening will call President Obama a failure and subtly criticize Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump for proposing to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
The South Carolina Republican was selected to deliver the Republican rebuttal to Obama’s final State of the Union Address. Haley said she planned to treat the speech not as a rebuttal, but as an opportunity to present her solutions for the challenges Americans are facing. It appears that the governor’s approach doesn’t preclude throwing some sharp elbows at the president or Trump, the celebrity businessman from New York whom she previously criticized.
According to excerpts of her speech, Haley will say that Obama’s “record has often fallen far short of his soaring words. As he enters his final year in office, many Americans are still feeling the squeeze of an economy too weak to raise income levels. We’re feeling a crushing national debt, a health care plan that has made insurance less affordable and doctors less available, and chaotic unrest in many of our cities. Even worse, we are facing the most dangerous terrorist threat our nation has seen since Sept. 11th, and this president appears either unwilling or unable to deal with it. Soon, the Obama presidency will end, and America will have the chance to turn in a new direction. That direction is what I want to talk about tonight.”
Haley, 43, is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and in another portion of her speech, delivered from the governor’s mansion in Columbia, S.C., she will urge Republicans not to succumb to xenophobia, even during a period of increased fears of a domestic terrrorist attack. In the excerpts, Haley doesn’t mention Trump by name. But her remarks appear to be a shot to his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., a reaction to the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., carried out by two Muslims inspired by the Islamic State.
“I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country…My story is really not much different from millions of other Americans. Immigrants have been coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America…Today, we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”
Haley, considered a possible vice presidential pick, was selected to deliver the GOP response to the State of the Union by House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Ryan has said in interviews that he is impressed with Haley’s abilty to reach out and be inclusive — a trait some Republicans think their party needs more of in its leaders if it is going to be competitive in presidential elections.
