In this interview, Dennis Prager asks former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to gauge her level of concern for America's future. Haley answers that she is cautiously worried but also very optimistic, citing a series of recent U.S. foreign‑policy and economic actions she views as bold and successful. She highlights the passage of a major trade deal, the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the enforcement of red lines against chemical‑weapon use in Syria, and the targeted killings of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi as evidence of an unconventional yet effective administration. Haley argues that the economy is thriving, with rising wages and production, especially in her home state. When pressed about the deep partisan divide and why many Americans “detest” the president, she attributes it to an automatic reflex to oppose the president regardless of merit, noting that Democrats criticized the Soleimani strike despite its global approval. She stresses that foreign‑policy decisions should rise above partisan politics, recalling her own support for previous presidents’ actions such as the Osama bin Laden raid. Prager then shifts to his long‑held view of a non‑violent civil war in the United States, asking Haley to comment on the growing ideological chasm, referencing comments from Senator Lindsey Graham. Throughout, Haley maintains a tone of confident defense of the administration’s bold moves while acknowledging the troubling polarization in the country.
How worried are you? 10, very worried. 1, not worried at all about America's future.
Oh, I'm, you know, I think I'm as worried as we should be, cautiously, but I'm very, very excited about the direction that we're going. I mean, I don't even want to give it a number because when you look at the threats we have around the world, yes, we have threats, we will always have threats. That's part of what we do is we defend ourselves and we push hard. But when you look at what has happened, I mean, I'm looking at the fact that they just passed another huge trade deal in one week. We look at our standing in the world and the fact that we've acknowledged truths by moving the embassy to Jerusalem. We've stayed true to our red lines by attacks in Syria when they used chemical weapons. You know, you look at what happened with Soleimani and how we've taken him out, now Baghdadi. I mean, I think that this is a time where the U.S. is being unconventional but bold. And bold in all the right ways. You look at the economy and jobs, you know, as a former governor, it's everything you want for your state and your people when they have jobs and wages going up and, and more production than we've had. I mean, this is just a really, really important time in the fact that we should be optimistic. It shows how hard we, if we push, what we can accomplish.
So how do you explain half this country detesting this president?
You know, I think it's something that it's, it's unfortunate and it's sad that no matter what the president does, they're gonna automatically go the other way. But we're winning people now, Dennis, because I'll tell you, it's looking ridiculous. And really, with Soleimani, I mean, here you have the worst terrorist of the worst terrorist organization that we take out And to not have everyone see that as a good thing. I mean, people in Syria are celebrating that. People in Iran are celebrating that. People around the world are celebrating the fact that he has killed millions of people. And the idea that he's gone is a good thing for the world. It's a good thing for America. I mean, 500,000 Syrians lost their lives because of this man. And so you look at that and the fact that we would have Democrats immediately say something against it shows how it's an automatic reflex that they have is just to oppose everything the president does. But you look at overall Americans, they see it as ridiculous that the Democrats are questioning it. And the first thing that I got upset about is, you know, when I was at the U.N., I know how much those foreign policy officials and so many around the world watch American media. And politics has to stop when it comes to foreign policy. We are America united and always need to fight that way. We can have partisan politics domestically. We always have. We always will. That's not a bad thing. But when it comes to foreign policy, I didn't question President Obama when he took out, you know, when he used drones and when he took out Osama bin Laden. I'm not going to sit there and question the president when he took out Soleimani. This is their job, is to protect Americans. And that's what the president has done. And it may be unconventional, but I have to look back at all of the candidates that were on that stage back in 2016. I don't know that any of them would have had the courage to do the things this president has done.
Well, as my listeners know, I of course agree with you. So then let me pose this question in a different way. I have said for 20 years that there is, and I hesitate to say it 'cause it's so painful, but I think there is a nonviolent civil war in our country, the left-right difference being that great. But I always said there's a civil war and only one side is fighting. That has changed. People like you, people like your colleague Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, what he said at the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, I am detecting a sense of whoa, They're not just fellow Americans who think differently. They're fellow Americans who have a different vision entirely. When we come back, I'd like you to react to that.
