Former Trump-era United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley gave an impassioned plea for America and its politicians to stop the “self-loathing” or watch as the nation’s enemies pass them by.
In an address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute Tuesday night, she said current politics echo those when Reagan was elected in 1980 — a dour and challenging time that he turned around in four years.
“America is once again in a life-or-death struggle,” said Haley, a former South Carolina governor and potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate.
Flipping through the pitfalls the nation faces overseas in an advance copy of her speech provided to Secrets, Haley said wokeness and “self-loathing” have consumed the nation, raising doubts about our influence and power overseas.
“We’re in a clash of civilizations, and the bad guys think the good guys lack the will to win. That perception is very dangerous for America and the free world. Our enemies have always hoped this day would come. They know from history that when America retreats, freedom falters,” she warned in language that echoed Reagan in her entry in the institute’s “A Time for Choosing” speaker series.
“This plague of self-doubt is not new. It existed in Reagan’s time. Jimmy Carter spoke of a national malaise. But it’s much worse now. The America-doubters are more powerful than ever,” she said in a speech that touched on President Joe Biden’s blundered withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The Taliban victory in Afghanistan is a disgrace. It leaves America weaker in the world and less safe at home. It’s the fall of Saigon and the Iran hostage crisis rolled into one. Our country hasn’t been this embarrassed in my lifetime. The American people have every right to be angry,” she said.
In a speech that could form the basis of a national campaign should former President Donald Trump not run, she also said those questioning America’s role overseas are also trying to change the nation for the worse with liberal programs and history-changing agendas, including critical race theory.
“A large portion of our people are plagued by self-doubt or even by hatred of America. It’s a pandemic much more damaging than any virus,” she said.
Tonight I will be delivering a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library about the future of the Republican Party.
I’ll be live-tweeting some of it here for you to follow along. You can also watch it live here: https://t.co/ZaKyvANPq8
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 6, 2021
Then, she blamed Democrats especially for decrying the nation and its history.
“Democrats have given up on America as a colorblind society. They see America’s flaws as more profound than its strengths. They deny the massive progress we’ve made, and they punish anyone who disagrees. They are quick to praise those who attack America, and eager to attack those who praise America,” she said.
An answer, she added, is looking to the positives of U.S. history and the examples of her life as a minority immigrant.
“I haven’t just seen the American story. I’ve lived the American story. And take it from me, the first female and first minority governor of South Carolina. America is not a racist country. This is a story Republicans should tell. And it is a story Republicans should finish. The moral mandate to make America freer, fairer, and better falls to us,” she said, adding, “Our challenges are steep, but they are not too steep to overcome, so long as we believe in America and fight for America.”
Haley’s political action committee, Stand for America, has had a successful fundraising run, and she has recently made the Afghan withdrawal a key focus, especially in memorializing the loss of 13 military personnel.
