Nikki Haley, 51, is the first woman to run against Trump in the Republican primary

This year, she is the only woman competing in the primary of the Republican Party, which has always nominated men for the highest office. Opposing four of them, including the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley therefore embodies a female alternative for Republican activists who began voting on January 15 in the state of Iowa. With his atypical profile, he also represents quite the symbol. At the Grand Old Party, often described as an aging white men’s club, the 51-year-old American embodies the country’s new guard, more demographically representative.

Rising star

Two televised debates helped reveal it. “Amid the initiatives and interruptions, Nikki Haley, among the other candidates in the Republican primary, has appeared more serious, competent and determined than her opponents,” our colleague noted in October. Figaro Adrienne Jaulmes, of Washington.

It must be said that Donald Trump’s former US ambassador to the United Nations, a twice-elected governor, has a huge game. office An asset that distinguishes him from other candidates in the Republican primaries, such as the young millionaire intellectual Vivek Ramaswamy or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; polls in Nikki Haley’s favor. He has increasingly found himself second in line to the former president and has seen his popularity rise. And this, even as Iowa, the first state to vote in the primaries, saw Donald Trump win the election in a landslide, with more than 50% of the vote ahead of Ron DeSantis (21%) and Nikki Haley (19%).

Indian Sikh girl

Ten years ago, the general public didn’t know Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Hale, aka Nikki Hale, the daughter of Indian immigrants who came from Punjab in 1960, at a time when her father’s turban was frowned upon. That all changed in 2016, when she became the first woman appointed to Donald Trump’s administration, a result of her work as governor of the state of South Carolina, where she was born (she is the first woman to hold this position). east coast state). It is known that on the private side, she is married to a national guard captain who was especially stationed in Afghanistan. They have two children together, a daughter, Rena, born in 1998, and a son, Nali, born in 2001. Originally a Sikh, Nikki Hale now identifies as a Christian and has joined the Methodist Church, a Protestant religious movement.

Governor of South Carolina

In politics, Nikki Haley made a name for herself, especially when in the capacity of governor of South Carolina (a position she assumed in June 2010), in 2015. of many that floated in front of his state legislature building for years. Not long after, the American made headlines again when she endorsed candidate Marco Rubio during the 2016 Republican primary. But his favorite beat Donald Trump, with whom Nikki Haley ended the presidential campaign rally. “I’m not going to pretend that I’ve always been a first-time supporter of the president-elect, but I voted for him and I was absolutely delighted to see him win,” he said later, as quoted. Le Figaro in the article in 2016

His intellectual honesty is rewarded. In November 2016, Donald Trump, the 45th President-elect of the United States, selected Nikki Haley to be the next US Ambassador to the United Nations. He justifies his choice in part by the actions of the latter to open his state to foreigners. “As governor, he led seven trade missions abroad and successfully attracted jobs and investment through negotiations with foreign companies,” the president’s team said. In turn, Donald Trump adds: “He is also a recognized negotiator, and we intend to negotiate many agreements. He will be a great leader who will represent us on the world stage.”

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Ambassador of the United Nations

Foreign policy newcomer Nikki Haley, however, appeared at the United Nations. Reaching toe-to-toe, he embodies a slightly more cooperative side of the Trump administration than eighteen months of populist and damaging campaigning might have made it appear. By raising her voice against Moscow or Pyongyang, Nikki Haley is a magnet for her peers, who see her as a “tough guy” but open-minded, capable of tough negotiations and delicate compromises.

Despite everything, Nikki Haley doesn’t stay long at Turtle Bay, the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. He will not address the real reasons for his hasty departure from the United Nations, announced on October 9, 2018, which will take effect at the end of the same year. He will simply put forward the need to “reduce a little” after fourteen years of elective mandate, “find a normal relationship with the phone, sleep and finally read books.” Some will speculate about a rift with Big Boss Trump, while others will argue that the arrival of neoconservative Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson’s successor at the State Department, has disrupted the privileged channel of communication he maintained with the tenant of the Oval Office. Whatever happens, in 2019, the former ambassador praises Donald Trump, believing that if he was able to establish a good working relationship with him, unlike everyone who “left a little bit abruptly,” he “never tried.” to take over the position of president.” Not mean, but spicy.

Feminist?

Finally, when it comes to women’s rights, Nikki Haley remains reserved. He prefers to keep quiet about his true beliefs to flatter his constituents. Or does he mostly agree with the traditional values ​​promoted by his party? Nobody really knows. On the other hand, the conservative has been more moderate in recent months than his rivals on abortion, he says. France 24:00 . Undoubtedly, because he knows very well that Republican Party continues the electoral disappointments on this topic after the cancellation of the constitutional protection of the right to abortion in the country. For the rest, Nikki Haley’s feminism remains to be proven. That being said, to everyone’s surprise, he made no secret of his admiration for a certain…Hillary Clinton. It was even a former Democratic presidential candidate who allegedly made him decide to enter politics in 2003. He said there was only one reason to do it, and that was because you knew it was the right thing to do. After that, I said to myself, “I have to go,” Nikki Haley recalled in an interview Vogue: in 2012. It is enough to break the famous glass ceiling that is so often criticized by Clinton.