MANCHESTER, N.H.—GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley explained on Jan. 18 why she said two days ago that the United States has “never been a racist country.”
When asked by The Epoch Times following an event in Hollis, New Hampshire, if saying that the United States has “never been a racist country” was a slip of the tongue, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations answered “no.”
“Listen, I was born a brown girl in a small rural town in South Carolina. ... Did we face racism? Yes,” said Ms. Haley, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India.
“But what I can tell you is that brown girl that grew up in that small rural town grew up to become the first female minority governor in history, went on to become U.N. ambassador, and is now running for president United States. I don’t want any brown, black, or other child thinking they live in a racist state,” she continued.
Ms. Haley went on to say that while there is racism in America, it is not systemic and there is equal opportunity for everyone.
“I want them to know they can do and be anything they want to be without anyone getting in the way. Does that mean we have racism in our country at times? Yes, we do,” she said.
“And our goal should be how do we make today better than yesterday,” she continued. “But I’m not going to make any child think that they’re coming in disadvantaged right off the bat just because of how they look. Thank God, my parents didn’t raise me that way.”
Ms. Haley’s remarks come after she told Fox News on Jan. 16 that the Republican Party is not racist.
“We’re not a racist country, Brian. We’ve never been a racist country. Our goal is to make sure that today is better than yesterday. Are we perfect? No. But our goal is to always make sure we try and be more perfect every day that we can,” she told Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade.
“I know. I faced racism when I was growing up,” she continued. “But I can tell you, today is a lot better than it was then. Our goal is to lift up everybody. Not go and divide people on race or gender or party or anything else. We’ve had enough of that in America.”
Ms. Haley’s assertion that the United States has “never been a racist country” contrasts with American history, which has consisted of slavery and racial segregation including Jim Crow. She has repeatedly said that America nowadays is not racist.
Ms. Haley’s latest comments come just five days until New Hampshire hosts the first primary of the 2024 election—over a week following the Iowa Caucus, which former President Donald Trump won with more than 50 percent of the vote, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ms. Haley.
Ms. Haley’s Jan. 16 and Jan. 18 comments were not the first time she has addressed the controversial issue of race.
When asked during a Dec. 27 town hall in New Hampshire what was the cause of the Civil War, Ms. Haley omitted mentioning slavery as a primary catalyst, opting instead to focus on the role of government and individual freedoms.
“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run—the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” Ms. Haley said to begin her response, before asking the voter what he thought the cause of the war was.
Pressing Ms. Haley for a response, the voter said he wasn’t running for president.
Elaborating on her response, Ms. Haley emphasized the role of government and individual freedoms.
“It always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are,” Ms. Haley said. “I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life.”
In the aftermath, the voter who posed the question said that it was “astonishing” that Ms. Haley gave her answer “without mentioning the word slavery.” When pressed on the omission, Ms. Haley responded, “What do you want me to say about slavery?” The voter said she'd answered his question, and then Ms. Haley asked for the next question.
On Dec. 28, Ms. Haley clarified her comments, telling a New Hampshire radio show and a town hall that slavery was what led to the war between the Union and the Confederacy.
