Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blasted socialism and Sen. Bernie Sanders during a speech at a D.C. think tank.
“Socialism is a total disaster, and, as Americans, we must condemn it wherever it exists,” the former Trump administration official said to the Hudson Institute on Wednesday. “That is why it is truly amazing to see how socialism has become trendy in parts of America. These days, it seems like socialism is everywhere.”
She added, “We must promise each other and future generations that America will never become a socialist country.”
Haley then took a swipe at the current front-runner in the Democratic presidential primary race, Sanders, warning that socialism has established a foothold “at the highest levels of society and politics.”
“Right now, the Democratic presidential front-runner is an avowed socialist named Bernie Sanders,” Haley said. “Only in a prosperous country like America can people be so flippant about capitalism and so naive about socialism.”
Haley also warned the public to take the threat of socialism seriously rather than dismiss it.
“This trend in America must be taken seriously. An entire generation has grown up without knowing the suffering caused by socialism in the 20th century,” Haley warned. “America’s collective amnesia is becoming a real threat.”
Sanders drew ire from both sides of the aisle over the weekend when he defended some aspects of Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba.
“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba, but, you know, it’s unfair to simply say, ‘Everything is bad,’” he told 60 Minutes. “You know, when Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing, even though Fidel Castro did it?”
A DNC spokeswoman, Democratic members of Congress, and prominent Republican politicians criticized Sanders for his comment.
Sanders doubled down on his defense of aspects of Castro’s regime during a town hall event the following day.
“When Fidel Castro first came into power … you know what he did?” the Vermont senator asked. “He initiated a major literacy program. It was a lot of folks in Cuba at that point who were illiterate, and he formed the Literacy Brigade … and they went out, and they helped people learn to read and write. You know what? I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing.”
