On October 3, 2024, Georgetown students gathered in the Lohrfink Auditorium to hear from former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley. The event was part of GU Politics’ series “Reflections on Running” where Haley shared her experiences during her campaign as well as her future vision for American Politics followed by a question-and-answer session led by the students.
Andrew Wong (SFS ‘26), former president of “Hoyas for Haley,” introduced the event and speakers. Wong welcomed Haley, along with moderators Rick Wiley, her presidential campaign senior advisor and current GU Politics Fellow, and Mo Elleithee, GU Politics Executive Director.
Elleithee began the discussion by asking Haley about the moment she first decided to run for president. “What compels you to believe that you are the right person in the moment for that job?” Elleithee asked.
“A lot goes into it and I think everybody decides differently. I actually do think women and men probably process that a little bit differently, and how they do it,” said Haley. “You know, from my standpoint, you’ve got to think about your family first because they’re the ones that are going to feel it most… so you don’t want to put your family through something unless you know you are 100% committed.”
Beyond family affairs, Haley also went on to emphasize the importance of mental strength when entering a political race. “I was trying to think what would be the biggest challenge I could do, mentally and physically, to test myself and make sure that I’m at the top of my game,” said Haley. “I had never physically run… so I was like, okay, you know what? I’m gonna see if I can run… and then I trained for a half marathon, and then I ran a half marathon, and it was after that, I was like, I can do this.”
Haley then went on to discuss her experience of running against former president Donald Trump and how it altered the environment of the race and relationship with voters. “It was always like, is Trump gonna run? Is he not gonna run? To me, it didn’t matter if he was going to, I knew that I was the right person at that time to go forward.” said Haley. “The lesson that I will tell you is to tune out that noise.”
Next, Elleithee asked about Haley’s relationship with the voters. On her experience speaking at town halls across the United States, Haley said, “What you see is people that love America, who are genuinely concerned about the future.”
“I can’t think of a more humbling thing than running for office, It’s just begging” said Haley. “That’s the part that I think makes a difference, and you are developing a relationship with every single person that comes in from you.”
Continuing to discuss the influence of Donald Trump during the election, Elleithee asked about what Haley learned after her party went in a different direction causing her to lose in the primary.
“Look, at the end of the day, the people decide, right? I went out there and I strongly believed that we needed to start having mental competency tests – people thought it was a joke, I wasn’t joking,” Haley said. “The party that gets rid of their 80-year-old candidates is going to be the party in the catbird seat.”
Haley continued to discuss her experiences speaking at town halls and how even after a loss to Donald Trump, she felt triumphant.
“Everybody wanted something newer, fresher, young, energetic. They were worried. They wanted a worker. What I heard and what I saw was what I was trying to do at the end of the day” said Haley. “I’m very proud of the fact that we had 14 candidates, we defeated 13 of them. You know, I had one more that I wanted to get, and I couldn’t get there, but it wasn’t because I didn’t try.”
On the topic of determination and trust with voters, Haley explored how she remained consistent throughout her campaign, expressing how it set her apart from her competition. “In Politics you have to have message discipline. You need to be consistent so that people know what to expect of you.”
As a Democrat, Elleithee questioned the changes within parties and if voters can expect a realignment of sorts. “I don’t recognize today’s Republican party as being the same one from a decade or two ago when I first started. Is it the same party?” Elleithee asked.
Haley responded, “I have to say the Democrats are going through the same thing, I think that’s the roller coaster of the party structure.”
“After this election, Democrats are going to self-correct a little bit, and I think you’ll see Republicans self-correct. That’s what parties do after elections.”
Haley emphasized her loyalty to the core values of the Republican party and her hopes for the future of the party. “What I always hope and will always fight for is the core principles of the Republican party,” said Haley. “It’s the idea of freedom. It’s the idea of Capitalism. It’s the idea of making sure that, you know, the government was intended to protect the rights and freedoms of the people. Its national security, preventing wars… conservative policy”
Haley also addresses the differences within both the Republican and Democratic parties, acknowledging the flaws of the Republicans and praising Democrats for their discipline, a core value missing from Republicans.
Haley then dives into how polarization has disrupted the trust between voters and politicians. “The media suddenly wants the most ridiculous things… you’re getting politicians to think they’ve got to say something crazy to get immediate attention.”
“I know we agree on 80% of things, it’s the 20% we fight over,” said Haley. “I’m going to tell you what I believe and it’s up to you to trust me or not, because I think elections need to be about trust. You have to trust that what I tell you today will be the same when I’m in office.”
“When it gets polarizing like that, I think it creates distrust among the American people”
Haley closed out by reminding students that they are responsible for making a change in the world and that we should not lose hope. “I think we’re going to be okay. America has an amazing ability to self-correct. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom to know where up is,” Haley said.
This article was written by Vilda Westh Blanc, a sophomore in the SFS studying IPOL security.
Watch the full recording below.
