Former Ambassador to the U.N. and 2024 presidential runner Nikki Haley heavily criticized her fellow Republicans and characterized Joe Biden as a “socialist” president during her speech at Club for Growth.
Her remarks also included a call for Biden to spend time in “retirement,” a push for a “new generation” in the White House, a reminder that she’s a “brown girl” and a vision to take down big spending while defeating socialism.
She began with an apparent jab at former President Donald Trump, who did not receive an invitation to the Republican conference.
“I know there’s a Republican candidate out there who you did not invite to this conference. I appreciate being one you did invite,” Haley said.
She then proceeded to attack other members of the party for opposing capitalism and not being “decisive” enough to run for president.
“Obviously, the socialist left hates economic freedom. But so do some of our fellow Republicans. They bad-mouth capitalism almost as much as Elizabeth Warren. You’ll never hear that from me. Just the opposite. Capitalism is one of the greatest forces for good in human history. I’ll never shy away from saying that,” Haley said.
She defined the 2024 presidential race as a battle between freedom and socialism, vowing to defeat “socialist” Biden.
“In this election, Americans will be asked to choose between freedom and socialism. I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not. The Democratic Party is now a socialist party. Joe Biden is a socialist president,” Haley continued, pointing to the expansion of the welfare state, Medicaid, food stamps and COVID-19 “relief” money.
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley waves to supporters while arriving ather first campaign event on February 15, 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina. Former South Carolina Governor and United Nations ambassador Haley, officially announced her candidacy yesterday, making her the first Republican opponent to challenge former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Since the moment COVID hit, we’ve spent trillions paying people to sit on the couch,” she said.
Haley blamed Biden’s “socialist spending spree” for adding to the national debt, but also rebuked Republican administrations for “wasting taxpayer money.” (RELATED: ‘Wish Her Luck!’: Trump Slams Nikki Haley For Flip-Flopping On 2024, Then Offers Encouragement)
“Here’s the truth. Lots of Republican politicians love spending and wasting taxpayer money almost as much as Democrats. The last two Republican presidents added more than $10 trillion to the national debt. Think about that. A third of our debt happened under just two Republicans,” Haley said. “Don’t let the media tell you Republicans and Democrats can’t work together. They always seem to work just fine when they’re spending your money.”
She continued, “I’m not afraid to call out my fellow Republicans. We don’t need pro-welfare, pro-union, anti-freedom politicians in our party. We aren’t the Democrats. And if we nominate another big spender in 2024, we’re going to lose.”
At the conclusion of her speech, she referred to comments CNN’s Don Lemon made about her age, and restated her message that Washington, D.C., needs a “new generation” of leaders.
“America is not past its prime; and no, Don Lemon, I’m not past mine either. But Joe Biden and too many of our politicians are past theirs. It’s time for a new generation of leadership,” Haley said.