Nikki Haley Stands Firm on Denying US Racism Despite Trump's Racist Attacks, Vanity Fair Reports

Article by Bess Levin

Nikki Haley reaffirmed her puzzling stance on Thursday evening that the United States, despite its historical acceptance of slavery, has “never” been a racially prejudiced nation. This claim comes in spite of her experiencing racially biased attacks at the hands of the likely GOP nomination front-runner.

In response to a query from Jake Tapper at a CNN town hall regarding her earlier statement on Fox & Friends about the US never having been racist, the GOP presidential aspirant quoted the Declaration of Independence, saying, “It stated that all men are created equal with inherent rights, didn't it? That's the universally acknowledged truth.” Although she agreed there was “much racism” that her family had to endure during her upbringing in South Carolina—a state that notably seceded due to potential restrictions on slavery—she stated, “I urge every child of color to believe that, ‘No, I don't live in a nation that was established on racism. I reside in a nation that always intended for all its people to be equal and to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’”

When Tapper countered this by pointing out that the US was evidently “established based on a number of racist principles, including slavery,” Haley maintained that “the motive” behind America's creation was “to do what's right,” adding that she rebuffed “to think that the establishment of our nation was grounded in it being a racist one from the start.” This is patently absurd given that the US Constitution specifically (1) recognized that certain individuals were not free and (2) stated that these individuals, who were of a race we can all likely guess, were considered as only three-fifths of a person.

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Equally preposterous is the notion that the US does not presently have an issue with racism, particularly when Haley herself has recently been targeted with racist attacks by the anticipated GOP nomination winner. On being asked about Donald Trump's sharing of a false post insisting she is not eligible to be president as her parents were not citizens when she was born - along with him calling her “Nimrada”—

A wrongly spelled version of Haley’s original name, Nimarata—she informed Tapper, “I know President Trump well. When he feels threatened or insecure he acts like this.” She went on to say: “I know I am a threat. I understand that's why he is acting the way he is. So, I am not going to waste my energy on this. My focus will continue to remain on topics people are interested in discussing, and I refuse to engage in name-calling with him.”