Want an insider view of how the Trump administration operates? Then book Nikki Haley to speak at your next event.
The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations has hit the speaking circuit like so many administration alumni before her. Because of her personal political stock and because of her personal friendship with the president, Haley will cost more than most.
A single Haley speech costs $200,000, plus the use of a private jet to ferry the former diplomat to and from the venue, CNBC reports. International speaking engagements, seven sources added, will be extra.
It is that last detail which could become a liability, should Haley seek higher office. International travel presumably means international clients with interests possibly contrary to those of the U.S.
The Washington Speakers Bureau, which represents Haley along with former Trump officials H.R. McMaster and John Kelly, did not return a call requesting additional information.
A speaking tour makes sense for Haley, who needs money. The South Carolina governor racked up more than $1 million in debt during her 14 years of public service. A couple of speeches could easily erase that balance. They could also put Haley in ignominious company.
Former President Bill Clinton padded his retirement account with paid speaking gigs. He gave 215 speeches in 2014, earning $48 million while his wife, Hillary Clinton, fresh from serving as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, prepared a second presidential bid. He brought in $2.2 million from just six international speeches that same year.
Those receipts made conservatives apoplectic at the possibility that foreign governments were currying favor with the Obama administration, or worse, getting on the good side of a future president.
While it is commendable that Haley hasn’t cashed out and become a lobbyist, she should avoid falling to temptation like the Clintons.
The Clinton-to-Haley comparison is not complete. She isn’t married to the president and has put some distance between herself and 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Using her as a conduit to Trump would be more difficult for foreign governments. It would not be impossible.
Foreign powers watch U.S. elections, and more than likely, see Haley as a potential presidential contender. Plenty in the United States already do. There are worse ways to curry favor with a potential president than with a few paid speeches and a plush private jet. Haley should keep her nose clean and stay stateside.
