STATEMENT: Nikki Haley is a MAGA Extremist

The following is a statement from DNC spokesperson Sarafina Chitika: 

“No one should be fooled by Nikki Haley’s attempt to whitewash her record – Haley is a MAGA extremist campaigning on a national abortion ban, lauds election deniers, and wants to gut Social Security and Medicare. As governor she worked with the Chinese Communist Party’s business interests and is under fire for her cozy relationships with foreign lobbyists and big business. That’s a toxic, losing agenda the American people have repeatedly rejected, and will again.”

Haley has made clear she would ban abortion nationwide and rip away freedoms for every woman in the country if given the chance. And her anti-abortion extremism is nothing new: she signed an abortion ban as governor that had no exceptions for rape or incest and threatened doctors with jail time. 

Haley: “So what can we do? Is there room for a federal law? I think there is room for a federal law.”

Haley: “Whatever we can get 60 Senate votes on, isn’t that better than what we have now? And if it’s– if it’s six weeks, that’s great. If it’s 15 weeks, that’s great.” 

Fox News: “Nikki Haley, 2024 Republican candidate, vows to sign federal abortion ban if elected president”

Haley: “Yes of course I would sign [a federal ban].”

Huffington Post: “Nikki Haley Says She ‘Absolutely’ Would Sign 15-Week Abortion Ban If GOP Had The Votes.”

Haley: “When it comes to a federal bill, I think there is a place for that.” 

Newsweek: “Haley described herself as ‘very pro-life’ and has spent most of her political career fighting for anti-abortion legislation, including signing a law as South Carolina governor in 2016 banning the procedure in most circumstances after 19 weeks of pregnancy unless the mother’s life is at risk.”

TIME: “The law passed the General Assembly last week and blocks women from having abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest… Doctors who violate the law could face a fine or jail time.” 

Haley has a yearslong record of trying to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Associated Press: “Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is proposing changes to entitlement programs for younger generations, opening the door to potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare if elected.”

Washington Post: “Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U. N. ambassador who is planning to announce her own presidential bid this month, also praised Ryan’s Medicare proposal at the time and said lawmakers should examine Medicare and Social Security spending to address federal debt.

“‘What they need to be doing is looking at entitlements,’ Haley said in a 2010 interview on Fox News. ‘Look at Social Security. Look at Medicaid. Look at Medicare. Look at these things, and let’s actually go to the heart of what is causing government to grow, and tackle that.’”

Haley: “Any candidate that says they’re not going to touch entitlements, means that they’re basically going to go into office and leave America bankrupt… We change retirement age to reflect life expectancy.”

NH Journal: “On entitlement programs, [Nikki Haley] says ‘you have to look at entitlements.’ ‘Let’s not dig our head in the sand and say “we’re not going to do anything about entitlements,” we have to.’”

Semafor: “As governor of South Carolina at the time, Nikki Haley praised the [Paul Ryan] fiscal blueprint for ‘trying to bring common sense to this world of insanity.’”

Haley is campaigning on a disastrous MAGAnomics agenda of making permanent Donald Trump’s tax giveaways, and she put the ultra-wealthy and corporations over working families as governor of South Carolina. 

Haley: “Well I think what I’d like to see is us go back to what Trump had under the tax cuts under him … I was there.”

Aiken Standard: “Gov.-elect Nikki Haley, who takes office next week, campaigned on eliminating the state’s corporate income tax.”

Augusta Chronicle: “State budget advisers predict eliminating South Carolina’s corporate income tax over four years, as both Haley and House Republicans propose, would reduce state revenues by $61.6 million in the first year and $218.3 million annually when the phase-out is complete.”

Haley pretends to be a China hawk, but the reality is she gladly welcomed investments from Chinese businesses in South Carolina as governor.

Fox News: “During her time as governor of the Palmetto State from 2011 to 2017, Haley was welcoming of several investments made by Chinese companies in South Carolina to either expand operations or create new ones. In 2016, Haley praised a $300 million investment in Richland County, South Carolina, by the Chinese fiberglass manufacturer China Jushi Co. Ltd., which cited ‘great support’ from the state government for doing so. … Earlier, in 2015, Haley welcomed a $72 million investment in an existing facility by Haier, a Chinese appliance manufacturer.” 

Haley on the Trump administration’s handling of China in 2017: “And so I think China has been a really great friend of ours, and the way they came together with us to do the statement last week showed that we are united against wanting North Korea to stay away from doing any sort of nuclear threats.”

Queen City News: “Nikki Haley’s statement on China deemed ‘misleading’ based on time as SC governor”

Haley has recently been under fire for her shady yearslong relationship with foreign lobbyists and big business, which she has prioritized over helping hardworking families.

ABC News: “Nikki Haley slams foreign lobbyists while accepting funds from them”

“But Haley’s rhetoric hasn’t stopped her from raising funds from supporters that are currently or formerly registered agents working for foreign entities. Under United States FARA laws, as part of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, individuals and entities acting as an agent of a foreign client are required to register with the Department of Justice. One of Haley’s top fundraisers, Oswaldo Palomo, the managing director of D.C.-based consulting firm Chartwell Strategy Group, is himself a registered foreign agent.”

Daily Beast: “Nikki Haley Can’t Shake Her Foreign Lobbyist Problem”

“But notably, even after the ABC report about Haley’s foreign lobbying support, Palomo made another contribution. This one, on June 16, was for $5,000, making Palomo a maximum contributor to both Haley’s campaign and her affiliated Stand for America PAC. What makes the second donation particularly interesting, however, is that the lobbying firm did not disclose it, as the Foreign Agents Registration Act requires those who lobby for a foreign government to do. Neither Haley nor Scott have refunded either contribution, according to FEC records.”

Wall Street Journal: “Nikki Haley received stock options worth close to $300,000 roughly six weeks after jumping into the 2024 presidential race as part of a real-estate company merger that could deliver even more lucrative payouts in the years ahead, Securities and Exchange Commission filings show.”

Wall Street Journal: “How Nikki Haley Went From Friend to Foe of Government Aid for Boeing”

Haley will align herself with anyone to win over the MAGA base – she spent the last year campaigning with MAGA Republicans who have worked to undermine our democracy, and her first Congressional endorser and New Hampshire campaign chair are both notorious election deniers.

Haley just weeks after January 6: “I’m really proud of the successes of the Trump administration. Whether it was foreign policy or domestic policy, we should embrace those. Those were the right policies.”

Haley in October 2021: “‘[Trump] has a strong legacy from his administration… He has the ability to get strong people elected, and he has the ability to move the ball, and I hope that he continues to do that. We need him in the Republican Party. I don’t want us to go back to the days before Trump.’”

Washington Post“[Haley] has endorsed and campaigned with a slate of Senate candidates who reject or question the 2020 election results as she positions herself as a potential 2024 presidential candidate. Haley appeared at a rally Tuesday with Don Bolduc of New Hampshire, who insisted Trump won the election and that President Biden was illegitimate … She also campaigned with Adam Laxalt of Nevada, who led the Trump campaign’s efforts to overturn the results in that state. And she endorsed Ted Budd of North Carolina, who as a congressman voted against certifying the electoral college results on Jan. 6, 2021.”

Fox News: “Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has secured the endorsement of a top Trump ally, House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman. Ralph Norman is the first South Carolina lawmaker to publicly back Haley’s bid for presidency. His support comes despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of his re-election the 2022 midterm elections and also after Norman did not vote to certify the 2020 election, in a nod to his loyalty to Trump.”

Deseret News: “Nikki Haley adds controversial former U.S. Senate candidate to campaign team”

“Don Bolduc, a retired Army general and former U.S. Senate candidate, is the new chair for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s New Hampshire campaign, the Haley campaign announced Tuesday morning. Bolduc made national headlines during his 2022 Senate campaign for his surprise primary victory over veteran New Hampshire politician Chuck Morse and for his controversial views on COVID-19 and the 2020 election.”