What's Nikki Haley (Nimrata Randhawa) Up To Now?

This blog post is referencing the Business Insider article on March 26, 2021, entitled, "Nikki Haley Says Biden Weak on China After He Ripped Into Xi Jinping (businessinsider.com)". I took out several critical quotes from the article and then proceeded to comment on what's really going on here. Links here are provided for those interested in reading the entire article on Businessinsider.com.

From Business Insider on 032621
Nikki Haley on Thursday accused President Joe Biden of being weak on China by sharing a selectively edited clip from his first news conference as commander-in-chief, in which the president bashed Chinese leader Xi Jinping for not having a democratic "bone in his body."

As I read that quote, my first reaction, how much time did they take to take a much longer video clip and condense it into 13 seconds? Really, Nikki, you're going to only show 13 seconds of Biden's response when you the incredible complexity of our relations with China? Wait, Nimrata (original name is Nimrata Randhawa), is that all you got? You take Biden’s words from his press conference out of context to make it appear that President Biden is soft on China? Good one! If the administration is clearly incompetent in their first 100 days in office, then it might be more appropriate to critique what was actually said at that news conference. Based on the level of intelligence and experience currently assembled within his administration, it would be no shock to learn they are developing an actual 4-year plan on dealing with China. Of course, some tasks are more urgent to address, but I also imagine the plan includes short-term and long-term goals.

That’s a welcome sign from The Former One who talked a big game, especially at campaign rallies, which he uncharacteristically did throughout his Presidency, but hurt Iowan farmers by implementing tariffs that were reciprocated by China. (I can just imagine Trump saying, “I funded those corn and hog farmers because they eventually had issues selling their soybeans)

Back to Nikki, the GOP and their corporate media partners have been clamoring for Biden to give his first press conference and so he did. It appears that Haley couldn’t resist the attention after Biden's first press conference. Except Haley needed some media attention, especially if she's interested in running on the GOP ticket in 2024. Look at some of the other possible GOP presidential candidates such as Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley -- these individuals are currently in high visibility positions so the fact that Nikki is currently not in an elected position might be a disadvantage in the next few years. So if former Governor of South Carolina is quite serious about running in '24, she needs to stay relevant among those circles -- critiquing what the opposition party says in a news conference could be fodder for somewhat like Haley to leverage.

Her approach might help her to decide if she's going to run but also what will her platform look like in a few years? Will she continue to back The Former One in her campaign or will she pivot and run as a GOP moderate? Time will tell.

Also From The Business Insider: "Biden doesn't think it's necessary to criticize China-a country actively committing genocide-for wanting to become the most powerful country in the world," Haley, who served as the US ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, said in a tweet along with the clip.

Her quote attempts to smear Biden as being weak and ineffective in dealing with China. It appears her claim is that the Biden Administration doesn’t care about the genocide that’s occurring in China with the Uyghurs. Any news article over the last month or so would show that the Biden Administration has mentioned their grave concern on the treatment of the Uyghurs. Her quote is inaccurate and one could argue is disingenuous.

If memory serves me correctly, wasn't Haley the US ambassador to the United Nations for about 2 years in the previous administration? While serving the President in this role, was this topic broached by Haley to Trump to be concerned about the Uyghurs? If she supported President Trump, why wasn’t she critical of the fact Trump ignored the Uyghur controversy? Why all the outrage besides the fact that a different party is in power so it's time to grab some tricks from the Republican playbook.

Haley has also been quoted recently as being critical of the World Health Organization for being in bed with China. Fair point. As Americans, we should push to make this organization more transparent, particularly with Covid-19. However, The Former One left the WHO last year. If you're not part of that organization that some in the GOP feel cower to the Chinese, how can you be in a position to have any influence on changing the WHO?

Trying to think critically here, an independent-minded person may be disappointed with Haley as it appears she deliberately took Biden's news conference comments out of context. Imagine a politician taking an opponent's quote where it tells a story contrary to what was actually said? Doing this is not a rarity, however, my eyes tell me this is a blatant attempt at doing so.

Others, on the other side of the aisle, might be appreciative that Nikki Haley is read to hold this office as she's tough standing up to the president. Her approach is to take the Chinese seriously and not mess around. Most Americans want our leaders to take China seriously from what I gather. Her supporters say, “We can’t wait until she runs for President in a few years.” I don’t know for certain if Nikki Haley is interested in running for president in several years but if actions speak louder than words, I’d put my money in the “Nikki for Prez in ’24.”

As US ambassador to the United Nations, did this position not give her some international and geopolitical exposure? As Governor of South Carolina years before, it's unlikely she got much international exposure, to be seriously considered as a potential Commander in Chief. To close the knowledge and perception gap, being an ambassador certainly didn't hurt as she may have acquired valuable knowledge in foreign policy, trade, and relations among UN members. Twice this week Haley appeared in the news, in both media clips, she discussed China. There's no question in my mind that Haley will continue this strategy of being active within the news cycle. This publicity may also provide her a better idea of what kind of candidate she run as. If she indeed doesn't run for President, there's a good chance she'll run for another high office, if she's not picked to run as the GOP VP candidate. Stay tuned.