Nikki Haley potentially replacing DeSantis as favoured ‘alternative’ to Trump: what a Haley presidency would mean

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Although former President Trump still holds 60% of Republican support in the lead-up to the 2024 primaries, many Republicans are turning to former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley for a more moderate choice.

Since January, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been the favored alternative. He proved his hard-right ideological stance as governor, and  as a presidential candidate, DeSantis has appealed to voters who want Trump policies without Trump’s personality. However, long-standing issues in his campaign such as a poor campaign launch, Trump’s attacks on his candidacy, and his singular focus on the “war on woke” are showing in his poll numbers. 

Starkly contrasting the famously aggressive rhetoric of Trump and DeSantis, Nikki Haley is running a campaign focused on consensus, unity, and forgiveness. Last week, she released her first TV ad, which she also uploaded to her Youtube channel with the title of “Moral Clarity.” Calling for a “new generation of conservative leadership,” she emphasizes moving on from the past, hoping to placate Republicans voters on both sides of Trump’s indictments.

But aside from abstract rhetoric, what are her policies?

Abortion

Like DeSantis, Haley is self-proclaimed “unapologetically pro-life.” As South Carolina governor, she signed into law a 20-week abortion ban and said recently that she would have supported even a 6-week ban. However, in an interview with CBS in May, Haley explained, “At the federal level, [an abortion ban at a certain week is] not realistic. It’s not being honest with the American people.” She would prefer to emphasize legislation promoting adoption and increasing access to contraception. In the third Republican debate, she cemented her stance, saying she will be willing to sign “anything that passes” but does not believe such a bill would ever make it past the Senate. Facing off against Sen. Tim Scott, who has now dropped out of the race, Haley chose practicality over ideology. 

Climate Change

Although she was integral to the decision to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Haley says she believes in climate protection. However, her proposed policies revolve around carbon-catching technology, which scientists have criticized. She has also stated that countries such as China and India should face pressure to decrease emissions, a claim that denies America’s significant responsibility for global emissions. 

Foreign Policy

Haley’s position as UN ambassador was marked by withdrawals from numerous agreements, including the Iran Nuclear Agreement, which sought to limit Iran’s nuclear stockpile,  and the UN Human Rights Council, calling it “biased against Israel.” However, her proposed policy heavily features foreign intervention. She calls for an end to economic cooperation with China, and has said she would deploy military force to Taiwan as well as increase the ammunition sent to Ukraine--a pivotal part of her foreign policy as she hopes that a Russian defeat would caution China, Iran, and North Korea against potentially aggressive action. In line with her advocating for Israel as UN ambassador, she promises to  send “whatever” support needed to fight Hamas.

Despite her numerous proposals for military intervention, she says little about NATO or other alliances and has even called to defund the UN. 

Immigration

As governor, Haley signed a law requiring all prospective employees to be checked against a national database to confirm their immigration status and making it a crime to “harbor or transport” an illegal immigrant. Haley says that as president she would add 25,000 border patrol and ICE agents, send Special Operations units to Mexico, and withhold funding from so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ such as San Francisco.

Transgender Rights

One of four candidates who have signed a pledge claiming that “sex is binary,” Haley is an absolutist against transgender rights. With the majority of Americans believing in protecting transgender rights, she contradicts her calls for consensus, placing her personal ideology above the general sentiments. She claims that transgender girls and women competing on female teams is “the women’s issue of our time” and that suicidal ideation in young girls’ was caused by transgender girls in locker rooms, for which there is no evidence. Despite backlash from politicians and psychologists alike, she has not retracted her statement. During her campaign trail, she repeatedly mocked and misgendered transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Haley says that as president, she will ban the use of public funds for transition care, support a federal ban of the transition of minors, and direct federal agencies to uphold the claim that “sex is binary.” 

While Haley’s calls for consensus, notably on abortion, contrast with the hardline surety of other far-right candidates such as Trump and DeSantis, her stance on core issues such as immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change and an unforgiving economic policy - she labels herself a “rare, genuine fiscal conservative” -position her far from moderate conservatism. As a presidential candidate, she offers, most of all, a change from the image of Trump rather than from his policies.