Nikki Haley says America needs to move away from the “chaos” and “negativity” that is engulfing her former boss, President Donald Trump, as the 2024 GOP presidential primaries get into full swing.
She made the comments Thursday during an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on an oil rig in Midland, Texas, hours before news broke of a federal indictment against Trump for alleged misuse of classified materials and obstruction of justice.
Two of the former president’s top lawyers suddenly resigned Friday morning, and his White House aide Wault Nauta has also been charged in the classified documents scandal.
When asked by DailyMail.com why she would be a better president than her former boss Trump, Haley replied, “I think everyone sees it. You know, we can’t have any distractions anymore. We can’t have the chaos. We have to leave the negativity behind us.’
Haley, 51, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations under 76-year-old Trump, said the country needs a “new generation leader” who will provide new solutions.
Nikki Haley was the US ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration
Haley touted her own record as governor of South Carolina for two terms in office that turned the state’s economy around.
She also said her experience with 193 countries at the UN is proof that she has the domestic and foreign policy experience to “make America strong and proud again.”
“I’m determined to do that,” she added.
When asked by DailyMail.com if she’s ever mishandled classified documents as the Justice Department investigates several of her rivals for the presidential nomination, Haley replied, “No.”
‘No. I mean, we knew how to handle classified documents,” she explained.
“You’re immediately trained on it and told exactly how sensitive it is and you even get fined if you leave a secret document on your desk.”
Haley said that because she was not aware of the contents of the documents themselves, she did not want to be considered further.
“We don’t know what these documents are,” she told DailyMail.com Thursday morning.
“So I don’t feel I need to comment on that until we know exactly what the documents are and how classified they were.”
President Joe Biden is currently under investigation by Special Counsel Rob Hur for his handling of classified documents found at his home and the Penn Biden Center. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who entered the 2024 race this week, was cleared last week by the Justice Department of any wrongdoing related to documents found at his Indiana home.
Trump was at his golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, Thursday night when his lawyers told him he was facing federal charges. He posted the news himself on his Truth Social account, where he declared, “I AM AN INNOCENT MAN.”
Trump’s main rivals have begun to respond to his historic federal indictment in a variety of ways — from criticizing the Justice Department to pushing him to drop out of the 2024 race.
Former President Donald Trump addressed the news of the federal indictment in a video Thursday night from his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. His Republican rivals almost immediately began to agree
Trump is indicted in the classified documents case and will appear in court in Miami on Tuesday. Shown are classified documents found during the Mar-a-Lago raid in August
Haley said in a statement to DailyMail.com Friday morning: “This is not how justice should be pursued in our country.”
“The American people are exhausted by the overreach of the prosecution, double standards and vendetta politics. It’s time to move past the endless drama and distractions.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — who has positioned himself as the GOP candidate most likely to criticize Trump — suggested Americans should wait and see what the indictment says, which remains sealed, before passing judgment.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out the DOJ for bias against Republicans, saying, “The arming of federal law enforcement poses a mortal threat to a free society.”
Pence said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt that he was “deeply disturbed” by the DOJ’s action against his former boss.
Only former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said Trump should drop out.
Trump was indicted in New York in April on charges related to his business and faces additional investigations in Washington, DC and Atlanta, Georgia, which could lead to criminal charges.
During the tour of the Texas oil rig, Haley interacted with workers and discussed their day-to-day activities, challenges, and learned about the constraints power producers face based on government policies.
Ex-South Carolina governor said oil is ‘tremendously important’ to national security and criticized Biden for ‘demonizing’ energy producers
DailyMail.com followed Haley on a tour of a massive oil rig just outside Midland, Texas, on Thursday.
The ex-South Carolina governor said oil is “hugely important” to national security and criticized Biden for “demonizing” energy producers.
“I mean, look at this beautiful rig,” she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive post-tour interview, pointing to the back.
During the tour of the rig, Haley interacted with workers and discussed their day-to-day jobs, challenges, and learned about the constraints energy producers face based on government policies.