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Who is Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s new UN ambassador?

Nikki Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Nikki Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Photo: Getty

Donald Trump’s has nominated Republican rival Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations in a move that has shocked observers after her past criticism of the President-elect.

Born Nimrata Randhawa, Ms Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, made history in 2010 when she became the first female Governor of South Carolina.

Now in the middle of her second term after being re-elected in 2014, the 44-year-old mother-of-two has indicated she will abandon her post once the Senate confirms her nomination to work alongside a man she is admittedly “not a fan” of.

“When the President believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation, and to our nation’s standing in the world, that is a calling that is important to heed,” Ms Haley wrote in a lengthy post on her Facebook page.

After announcing the nomination, Mr Trump praised Ms Haley as “a proven deal maker” who will help the United States to make “plenty of deals”, despite her complete lack of foreign policy experience.

“She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage,” Mr Trump said.

However, Ms Haley was outspoken in her criticism of Mr Trump during the election, at one stage describing him as “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president”.

Ms Haley threw her support behind Senator Marco Rubio of Florida during the Republican party primaries.

Delivering the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in January, Ms Haley also took a swipe at Mr Trump’s “noise” regarding immigration.

“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” Ms Haley said.

nikki haley parents

Nikki Haley with her mother Raj and father Ajit, who moved to the United States from Punjab in India in the 1970s. Photo: Getty

“We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”

In a subsequent interview on the Today show, she specifically identified Mr Trump as “contributing to what I think is just irresponsible talk”.

Mr Trump responded by saying Ms Haley was “very, very weak on illegal immigration” and accusing her of taking advantage of his financial support.

“She certainly has no problem asking me for campaign contributions, because over the years, she’s asked me for a hell of a lot of money in campaign contributions,” he told Fox and Friends.

“So perhaps if I weren’t running she’d be in my office asking me for money, but now that I’m running she wants to take a weak side on immigration.”

He later tweeted that the people of South Carolina were “embarrassed” by Ms Haley.

Clearly, Mr Trump has since changed his tune, as has Ms Haley.

nikki haley family

Nikki Haley with her husband and teenage children at home in South Carolina. Photo: Instagram

“I’m just giddy, and if you talk to any of the governors here, we are so excited at the possibility and the opportunities that are going to be here,” she said after Mr Trump’s win.

“This is a new day.”
Although she is a novice when it comes to international relations, Ms Haley would argue her childhood as the daughter of immigrants more than prepared her for her new role.

In 2012, she released a memoir, Can’t Is Not an Option: My American Story, detailing the struggles of growing up with darker skin and a turban-wearing Sikh father in America.

Ms Haley wrote that children would often ask her, “Are you white or are you black?” and she became “adept in the art of finding common ground”.

Nikki Haley confederate flag

Nikki Haley signing a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state house grounds in Columbia, South Carolina. Photo: Getty

She is perhaps best known for her response to a deadly church shooting in Charleston in June 2015.

After the racially-motivated attack, Ms Haley successfully campaigned to have the Confederate battle flag (traditionally a symbol of segregation) removed from the South Carolina State House.

“I just couldn’t look [my children] in the face and keep that flag up,” she told The Washington Post. 

Ms Haley currently resides in the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia, South Carolina, with her husband Michael, her daughter Rena, her son Nalin and their dog Bentley.

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