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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 44, the youngest governor in the country, gripped the nation’s attention when President-elect Donald Trump invited her for a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Nov. 17, to discuss the possibility of a cabinet post. While a lot of ink has already been spilt over rumors Haley may be up for Secretary of State, she is probably being considered for several posts.
Often mentioned as a possible VP in future Republican administrations, the “rising star” of the GOP would bring fresh eyes and some ‘color’ to a Trump presidency facing flack nationwide from minority groups and others who supported Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Regardless of party affiliations however, Indian-Americans are rallying behind her potential appointment.
In a statement emailed to News India Times, Haley’s Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Godfrey said, “Governor Haley was pleased to meet with President-elect Trump. They had a good discussion, and she is very encouraged about the coming administration and the new direction it will bring to Washington.”
With a large majority of Indian-Americans supporting the Democratic Party, the community has become used to numerous highly qualified candidates being appointed to all levels of the Obama administration starting almost from day one, when he nominated Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, relative unknowns on the national scene at that time.
“I understand Governor Haley to have a thoughtful focus on making government work,” Chopra texted News India Times. “In the spirit of our democratic traditions to welcome a new administration, I’d be delighted to see her join and bring her full talents to bear on solving big problems.”
Businessman Shekar Narasimhan from Virginia, a staunch Democrat who even served as co-chair of the Indo-American Leadership Council in the Democratic National Committee in 2007, and campaigned for Clinton, was unqualified in his support for Haley.
“It’s great to have somebody who looks like us in the cabinet. We have never had any in the cabinet,” said Narasimhan who also co-chairs the Leaders Forum, a bipartisan group of Asian American entrepreneurs which has been preparing lists of potential candidates for a new administration, whichever won Nov. 8. “We had Nikki Haley on our list in the event of a Trump win,”
Narasimhan told News India Times. “We have to support our community in any party,” he added.
Puneet Ahluwalia, on the Trump Asian Advisory Committee, praised Haley as an “excellent” choice for Secretary of State or any other position. “Not only is she an accomplished woman governor, but is also from Asian heritage, which will calm the fears and concerns minorities may have, and subside the commotion caused by liberal media and Democratic activists,” Ahluwalia told News India Times. “I am a proud Indian of Sikh heritage, married to an Afghan Muslim, and neither my wife nor I have ever faced racism (in the Republican fold),” he asserted, “We wholeheartedly supported him (Trump) actively and aggressively.” he said.
However, a spokesperson from the Sikh Coalition refused to comment on Trump’s possible choice of Haley at cabinet level.
Sikhs have been at the receiving end of hate crimes aimed at Muslims in this country and their advocacy organizations have appealed to President-elect Trump to strongly condemn such bias crimes. Many Sikhs attended the Nov. 17 White House celebration of Guru Nanak’s birthday, and have worked closely with the Obama administration on hate crimes.
Foreign Policy
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, who early on broke with Trump, told CNN Haley was “capable” and “could do a job in any assignment.”
“I think she’s a traditional Republican when it comes to foreign policy. I certainly would support Nikki Haley. I like her a lot,” Graham said.
While Haley may not have foreign policy experience other than her foreign trips, including one to India to drum up investment in South Carolina, she has made some statements on issues like the Iran nuclear deal. She and some Republican governors sent a letter to President Obama in September 2015, opposing it.
“The lifting of federal sanctions that will result from this agreement will only result in Iran having more money available to fund terrorist groups and attacks,” the letter from governors said.
“The people of our states will not be safer as a result of this agreement, much less citizens of countries like Israel which Iran has threatened to destroy.”
She also supports strong measures to prevent illegal immigration. Steps she has taken to prevent illegal immigrants entering her state, and her support for strict immigration laws, would sit well with a Trump administration.
Haley drew the line however on birthright citizenship, when the Trump camp floated the idea of dispensing with it. Haley also opposed one of Trump’s top talking points – the temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, news reports noted.
Crisis Manager
Statements from those close to Trump indicated Haley may have bridged differences with Trump in the late stages of the primaries, and she did say she would vote for whoever won them.
“We appreciate what she did for Donald Trump in the campaign,” Ed McMullen, former South Carolina chairman and a national adviser for the Trump campaign, told the Post and Courier.
On the home front, Haley showed grit and humanity, in the face of recurring crises in her state, a quality that might stand her well in any cabinet position. After the massacre of 8 congregants at an African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, Haley’s sympathetic and calming effect on citizens was noted.
She was praised nationwide, with few detractors, when she took a stand to remove the Confederate Flag from Statehouse grounds. But on that front, her appointment may not sit well with the white supremacist groups which have latched themselves to Trump as his supporters.
Even as she handled devastating floods in her state Haley apparently worked behind the scenes campaigning and fundraising for Republican gubernatorial and other candidates around the country as an executive committee member in the Republican Governors Association. For the first time there are 33 Republican governors in the country, a boost to an incoming Republican administration, and Haley could be credited with some of that success.
The day before she met Trump, Haley was elected vice-chair of the RGA at the annual conference in Orlando, Florida. She is also in line to become chair of the RGA in 2018.
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