Nikki Haley outlines 2024 agenda on education, Ukraine, Trump and more

2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley shared some main policy points for her prospective administration during an interview with "Just The News No Noise" on Thursday, highlighting issues related to China, education, school choice, and socialism. 

One of the first topics the former ambassador to the United Nations (UN) under President Donald Trump tackled was the United States giving billions of dollars in foreign aid to other countries -- that not only buck the American agenda -- but actively work to undermine it. 

"It started in the United Nations. After we had the vote of moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the United States was heavily condemned, I went back to my staff and I said, I want you to put a book together, I want you to list all 193 countries," she began. "The second column should be the percentage of times they vote with us and against us. And the third column should be how much foreign aid we give them. And I took that book, and I gave it to President Trump and he lost his mind. He's flipping pages -- calling out countries."

"We need to be smart about how we give aid. We gave $46 billion in foreign aid last year. We're giving money, assuming we can buy friends. You can't buy friends. Stop giving money to countries that say 'Death to America,'" Haley continued. "We gave it to Iraq, where they sit there and hold hands with the Iranian terrorists that are saying that. Pakistan that used to harbor terrorists that would kill our soldiers. Communist China, Communist Cuba, Zimbabwe, the most anti American country in the United Nations. Why are we doing that? Let's focus on our friends and our allies, and stop giving money to countries, just because it's a weak look that we do it. Think about what that says to China, that we're giving them money for their environment. It's ludicrous. As President, I'll stop all of that." 

The former South Carolina governor also touched upon the war in Ukraine, saying the U.S. should not be be required to funnel taxpayer dollars into the conflict simply because the Biden administration thinks it's a good idea, before hitting China for their globally destabilizing tactics and highlighting border security as a top priority. 

"You don't want to get into nation building... And look at what the Ukrainians are doing on on their own," she explained. "I mean, Russia has fallen so far [where] they're getting drones from Iran, and missiles from North Korea. They've raised the draft age to 65. Hundreds of thousands of Russians have left that country. Putin knows he's starting to lose. What I wish is Biden would have acted sooner. That was the key. And this all started with [Barack] Obama when he did nothing when they moved into Crimea in the first place." 

"It's coming from China," Haley added. "We need to start making China pay for what they're doing. They know exactly what they're doing and why they're sending it over. And the way you do that is you secure the border. Let's secure the border. Let's go back to 'Remain in Mexico.' Let's stop catch and release. But let's go a step further do what we did in South Carolina. We passed an Arizona style e-verify program that said, anyone that any business that hired someone, they had to be legal. And if they didn't, they were punished. Let's stop giving illegal immigrants jobs. Let's stop giving illegal immigrants money. And let's start focusing on our own citizens. That's when they'll stop coming." 

Haley went on to label China the  "number one national security threat," to the U.S. and said America should take a "look at the national security items when we had COVID. And everybody wanted you to put on a mask. The masks were made in China when they want you to take a COVID test the COVID tests are made in China, when you have to get medications your medications are from China, look at where the national security threats are. And let's tackle that first. But let's do it from an entire look at China. They're building up their military, they have the largest naval fleet in the world, they have more air defense systems than we do. They are buying up 1000s of acres of farmland, which we should put a stop at immediately."

In addition to supporting U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Haley said Iran must not be allowed to achieve nuclear capacity, even calling for a military plan to deal with the potential future threat. 

She went on to speak about the state of the economy, the debt and how further neglect of the issue would only hurt both parties and the country as a whole. 

"I think you have to look at the economy, we're $31 trillion in debt. When you're borrowing money just to make your interest payments, that's a problem," Haley stated. "One in six Americans can't pay their utility bill. 50% of Americans say that they are worse off today than they were a year ago. And our kids will never forgive us for this. We have to start paying down the debt. And Republicans and Democrats have a responsibility here. They are both feeding at the trough. They opened up here March 3, spending like drunken sailors. Let's balance a budget.

"Let's do what I did as governor of South Carolina. You cut the spending, you cut the debt and you say we're going to live within our means," she continued. "You look at education. I mean, our kids have lost so much. Pre-COVID, 70% of eighth graders in our country were not proficient in reading. Think about that. We've got to go and really focus on education again. In South Carolina, we said that if a child can't read by third grade, they don't go on to the fourth grade. We need to do that across the country, we need to add school choice and we need to put parents back in charge. When it comes to crime on our streets, let's have the backs of our law enforcement. Let's get the numbers of our criminals. Let's make sure that we're getting law and order back together for our streets so that kids can be safe. Let's close the border."

She closed by warning against the dangers of socialism and her feelings about a recent lack of respect and reverence for the positive aspects of America. 

"Finally, let's get strong again on the world stage. Let's show the entire world that America is back, that she's strong," Haley concluded. "But more than that, the biggest issue I have is this creeping into socialism. And this national self-loathing that we're seeing. For the first time, 50% of Americans are saying they don't think their kids will be better off than they were. That is so sad. That's not okay. We have to do this. I'm doing this for my children as much as everybody else... It's time for a new direction. It's time for a new approach... It's time for a new direction, a new generation. And it's time to get this all together and get [the] United States strong again." 

You can follow Nick on Twitter @NGivasDC