Nikki Haley’s Announcement of Candidacy

Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for being here today. All of us standing here this
morning are from extremely varying and diverse walks of life. Perhaps some of you, like my
siblings and I, were born and raised in the United States. Perhaps some of you have a story
similar to that of my parents, who abandoned their lives in Punjab, India and immigrated to
America with only eight dollars and one suitcase to seek out opportunities for their futures
(Rosin). Although we all have differences that should be celebrated, I know there is one thing
that ties everyone in this room together — we all value the American dream. At some point, each
and every one of us has had a burning desire to experience success and happiness through hard
work. Throughout my career as a politician — first as the Governor of my beautiful home state
of South Carolina, and most recently as the 29th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — I
have been committed to advancing this American Dream, and I don’t intend to stop anytime
soon. It brings me great joy to be able to work for the American people and do everything in my
power to allow each and every individual in the United States to pursue their goals. And that is
why I am proud to stand before you all this morning and announce that I, Nikki Haley, am
running for President of the United States of America.
In this day and age, it’s an unfortunate fact that most of our politicians don’t work for us.
Many people in our government only care about money, about power, and about advancing their
own interests. My experiences and my background make me different. I’m making each of you a
promise today — my focus during this campaign and during my presidency will be the people.
Before considering how I can accomplish what’s best for my own success, I will strive to create
opportunity for all the residents of the United States. I will work across party lines and make
compromises where I can, so we can come up with bipartisan solutions that benefit everyone. I
will ensure that whether you are an immigrant, or a veteran, an adult, or a child, or a combination
thereof, you can live out your dreams and goals. I won’t just work for those of one class, of one
race, or of one gender. I have stood beside Americans of all backgrounds, and I have seen that
there are needs in every group. I am fully committed to addressing those needs no matter what it
takes.
My priorities in this election cycle rest in cutting taxes, expanding educational
opportunities, and fostering positive relationships in the Middle East. Too often, the government
takes advantage of middle class citizens — tax hikes have left the American middle class
discouraged and disadvantaged. That’s not right. I also believe strongly in caring for the children
of this country and giving them the resources to achieve their full potential and do what they
love. That’s why I don’t think it’s productive to educate kids solely based on their zip code.
Finally, the war and conflict that rocks the Middle East breaks my heart, as I know it does yours.
Throughout this campaign and my term, I will do all I can to advance policies that will contribute
to peaceful relationships and the eradication of terror.
I am very fortunate and very honored to stand here today. I am proud to call this country
my home; it is the greatest country in the world, and it is that way because of the people that live
in it. I will work for those people, the people of America. I guarantee that under my leadership,
no American will be deprived of the opportunity to live out the American Dream. I’m thrilled to
welcome you all aboard my campaign this morning. I truly hope that with my commitment and
the hard work of those on my team, we can truly build a promising future in this country. Thank
you, and God bless America.
 Nikki Haley's Policy Speech

Good morning, and thank you all for being here today. Some of you may believe that the
issues I will speak about today don’t impact the people. That they’re just on paper, or that they’re
distant concepts that don’t matter to the well being of our country. But the truth is that each and
every policy issue I’m addressing today has a tangible impact on everyone living in the United
States; and that is why during my campaign and during my presidency, I will work to tackle
these policy issues in a way that will benefit the people and allow us all to seek out opportunity
and experience the American Dream as it is meant to be experienced.
It’s no secret that in this day and age, Americans in the middle and upper classes are
suffering. Despite the left’s claim that increasing taxes on the rich balances income inequality
and creates fair outcomes, just looking around at almost anyone in this country shows us that this
is blatantly false — there’s something wrong with the fact the top 1% of Americans make
approximately 17% of the nation’s expanded cash income but have to pay more than 45% of all
individual income taxes. I vow to continue the tax reform effort that I led in South Carolina and
advance policy that will reduce the income taxes subjected on all Americans and collapse the
number of federal tax brackets, so that Americans will be free from the burden that the
government is unfairly placing upon them. With tax cuts, the average American family would
receive a raise of almost $4,000, allowing them to finally truly prosper. It’s also time to address
the looming and ever-increasing national debt that is detrimental to our well-being — I am proud
to have signed the “Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge” and I am a strong believer in pushing for
legislation that enforces stricter government spending caps so that the resources in our country
are used responsibly and for the areas that matter most.
In keeping with the theme of prosperity, I will invest in the future of prosperity, our
children. The children of this country represent our future, and it’s time to make a real
investment in giving each of them a quality education regardless of where they live or the
background they come from. In my State of the State Address to the South Carolina legislature in
2016, I laid out a plan to incentivize teachers to take jobs at rural schools to reach disadvantaged
students and create new opportunities for them. I plan to continue this principle on a national
level by advancing policy that will educate, train, and reward teachers who teach in traditionally
low-performing areas. It’s important that the students who need the most help and attention get
that help and attention, regardless of their zip code. This priority goes hand-in-hand with my plan
to advance legislation to expand the charter school system and school choice voucher program in
the United States. Confining students to public education forces them to accept the resources that
are dictated upon them by location. By putting more money into private schools and allowing
families to have school choice, we can ensure that each and every student is able to do what they
truly want to and live out their full potential.
Our foreign policy is just as important as what happens within our borders. The ongoing
conflict in the Middle East is terrible, as is the wanton destruction that has so often accompanied
it, and as a leader in the world, it is up to us to step up and work for peace. As an ambassador to
the UN, I have seen a variety of perspectives on everything from the Israeli-Palestine conflict to
the fighting on the Syria-Lebanon border, and I strongly condemn the violence we see each day.
As President, I will work to create policy that will allow the leaders of the United States to take
action, and use intervention as needed to create peace for innocent civilians, and lead
negotiations between the leaders of various countries.
Criminal justice reform is another issue that plagues our nation today. I believe it’s
important to strengthen our justice system so that Americans can be kept safe and those who
deserve penalties receive them fairly and efficiently. My home state has a significant population
of thriving private prisons — I plan to transfer the systems used in South Carolina to a national
scale and create policy that allows us to privatize more of the justice system while ensuring that
inmates are treated humanely and receive adequate resources to put them on a path to correction
and recovery. I am also passionate about creating measures that would allow for non-violent
offenders to be hired by small businesses after having served their terms — not only would this
aid in job creation, but it would give former criminals a second chance at life and give them
rewarding opportunities.
Yesterday, I was asked what I appreciate about the Obama Administration. And my
answer is this: I appreciate that the administration raised a conversation about healthcare that is
extremely important for Americans to have. But I also believe that the administration failed at
creating a healthcare system that will benefit all Americans. My goal as president will be to
abandon the notion of a one-size-fits-all universal healthcare system in favor of creating policy
that will present patrons with a variety of healthcare options that cater to their individual needs. I
am also in favor of abandoning federal mandates that are detrimental to healthcare in each state,
and believe that we should advance legislation that will begin our transition to a pay-for-
performance type health system. With this system in place, each and every American will be
truly cared for.
I am saddened by the tragedies of gun violence that have taken so many innocent lives,
especially the lives of our children, in the past months. I am willing to seek out the middle
ground on this issue and find a happy medium. However, I strongly believe that our founding
fathers gave us our 2nd amendment rights for a reason, and am passionate about protecting the
rights of Americans to own and carry firearms in a concealed manner. It is clear that people, not
guns, are the primary problem. When examining all the mass shootings in the 20th and 21st
centuries, research has found that more than 59% of all perpetrators were diagnosed with or
exhibited signs of various mental illnesses. Rather than taking away our rights to defend
ourselves, I propose to carry on my South Carolina initiative to push policy that will put
increased funding into mental health help for those who are struggling. This is an issue, like all
others, where we must strike a balance and work across party lines to come up with an adequate
solution. I am open to compromise but will fight for what I believe in throughout my campaign
and presidency.
I have seen the potential that children in the United States can have if given proper care,
consideration, and resources, and that is why I am proud to call myself pro-life. When my
husband was a child, he and his siblings were adopted after his biological mother suffered a brain
injury and was no longer able to care for them. Because he was treated with compassion and
respect and the possibilities for his future were recognized and respected, he went on to achieve
many great things. Rather than funding abortion, I believe in advocating for policy that will put
more resources and funding into our domestic adoption system in order to make it more
accessible and ensure that each child in the country receives a chance to live and change the
world.
I am the daughter of immigrants, and for my entire life, have been surrounded by those
who came to this country for opportunity and a chance at success. My family is of a racial
minority and a religious minority, and I, like many of you, have faced hardship and
discrimination throughout my life. That is why I believe that we cannot restrict immigrants based
on the color of their skin, who they worship, or where they come from. I do, however, believe
that we need to create measures to further secure our borders, prosecute and punish illegal
immigrants, and ensure that only those who have waited their turn and followed the rules are
able to enter this country. A study conducted a few years ago showed that non-citizens and
undocumented individuals committed 21% of federal crimes, a non-proportional amount that was
almost 2.5 times their share of the population. The only way to keep our American people safe
and ensure that only the individuals who really deserve our resources are receiving them is to
crack down on illegal immigration.
I’d like to end with a brief quote by our 41st President, George H.W. Bush. He once said
that “No problem of human making is too great to be overcome by human ingenuity, human
energy, and the untiring hope of the human spirit." We can all very clearly see that our country
faces many problems today. But I believe that under my leadership and with the hard work and
cooperation of all those in our government, we can solve these problems. We must start today in
order to tackle the policy of tomorrow. By paying close attention to the desires and interests of
the people and serving the citizens of this great country, we can overcome every one of the
problems we experience. I hope you will join me in my journey to do just that. Thank you very
much, and God Bless America.