Nikki Haley's Denial of 'Racist' US Raises Eyebrows

Following the Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's comments on racism in America has drawn scowls.

The former U.N. ambassador widely lost in Iowa on Monday, winning in only one county and by the closest margin possible. Former President Donald Trump held on to his front-runner position in the Republican primary field, winning in all but one of the state's 99 counties, Johnson County, which Haley took by a single vote. Haley, however, has declared the primary a "two-person race" between her and Trump.

While appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Haley discussed the state of her campaign following her loss in Iowa.

When asked by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade if the GOP was a racist party, noting liberal political commentator Joy Reid's comments on Monday about Haley being a "brown lady that's got to win a party that is deeply anti-immigrant," Haley rejected the notion.

"No. We are not a racist country, Brian. We've never been a racist country. Our goal is to make sure that today is better than yesterday. Are we perfect? No. But our goal is to always make sure we try and be more perfect every day that we can."

Newsweek has reached out to Haley's campaign via email for comment on Tuesday.

Haley continued to state that the goal is to not divide people based on race or gender, adding that this is why she is running for president.

"I know, I faced racism when I was growing up, but I can tell you today is a lot better than it was then. Our goal is to lift up everybody, not go and divide people on race or gender or party or anything else. We had enough of that in America, that's why I'm so passionate about doing this," Haley added.

Haley, who became the first prominent woman of color to seek the Republican nomination, has previously noted her South Asian—specifically Indian—descent while campaigning.

However, since Haley's comments, some have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to push back and criticize Haley for not acknowledging the country's past.

Tara Setmayer, senior adviser at The Lincoln Project, noted Haley's position as former governor of South Carolina.

"Nikki Haley, please shut up. You continue to embarrass yourself. You were the governor of SOUTH CAROLINA ... where the beginning of the Civil War started, fought over SLAVERY!" Setmayer wrote on X.

Scott Dworkin, co-founder of The Democratic Coalition, wrote on X, "This is what happens when you ban dictionaries, you fail to learn what the word racist means."

MSNBC News host Mehdi Hasan also criticized Haley's comments, noting her South Asian heritage.

"What about that time you said you got excluded from a kids' beauty contest for being brown? Or that time you said your dad was profiled at a market because of his turban?" Hasan wrote on X.

This is not the first time Haley has been criticized for her remarks related to the country's past, specifically involving race.

At a campaign event in December, Haley was asked about the cause of the Civil War and failed to mention slavery in her answer, eliciting harsh responses.

In her initial answer at a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, Haley pinned the cause of the Civil War on the government and which freedoms should be granted.

"I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run," she said. "The freedoms and what people could and couldn't do. What do you think the cause of the Civil War was?"

Previously speaking to Newsweek, William Harris, North Carolina State University professor emeritus and a historian who specializes in the Civil War, criticized Haley's initial explanation for how the conflict started.

"Haley's avoidance of the relationship of slavery and the Civil War is the kind of thing Southern [white] politicians have been doing ever since the Confederacy lost," he said. "Before the war, they did not try to hide the truth, far from it."

However, in response to the backlash Haley received, she told voters in North Conway, New Hampshire, in part: "Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That's unquestioned, always the case, we know the Civil War was about slavery. But it was also more than that. It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government. For 80 years, America had the decision and the moral question of whether slavery was a good thing and whether government—economically, culturally, any other reasons—had a role to play in that."