‘She knows better’: Nikki Haley defends comments that America has never been a racist country 

“Black folks didn't climb up in the trees and lynch themselves." - Whoopi Goldberg

If America has never been racist why did she choose to change her name from Nimrata Randhawa to Nikki Haley?

She's not acknowledging that when they said men were created equally, they were talking about white men.

This is the type of candidate you're stuck with when you have a significant number of confederates and racists as your voting base.

Racism has been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices, and actions (including violence) constantly throughout the history of the United States against racial or ethnic groups. Throughout American history, white Americans have generally enjoyed legally or socially sanctioned privileges and rights, which have been denied to members of various ethnic or minority groups at various times. European Americans have enjoyed advantages in matters of education, immigration, voting rights, citizenship, land acquisition, and criminal procedure. Racism against various ethnic or minority groups has existed in the United States since the early colonial era. Before 1865, most African Americans were enslaved and even afterwards, they have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms. Native Americans have suffered genocide, forced removals, and massacres, and they continue to face discrimination. Hispanics, Middle Eastern and Asian Americans along with Pacific Islanders have also been the victims of discrimination. In addition, non-Protestant immigrants from Europe, particularly Jews, Poles, Italians, and the Irish were often subjected to xenophobic exclusion and other forms of ethnicity-based discrimination. Racism has manifested itself in a variety of ways, including genocide, and slavery, lynchings, segregation, Native American reservations, boarding schools, racist immigration and naturalization laws, and internment camps.[a] Formal racial discrimination was largely banned by the mid-20th century and over time, coming to be perceived as socially and morally unacceptable. Racial politics remains a major phenomenon, and racism continues to be reflected in socioeconomic inequality.[1][b] Into the 21st century, research has uncovered extensive evidence of racial discrimination in various sectors of modern U.S. society, including the criminal justice system, business, the economy, housing, health care, the media, and politics. In the view of the United Nations and the U.S. Human Rights Network, "discrimination in the United States permeates all aspects of life and extends to all communities of color."[3]

I just take it as she is not talking to the black community and we are not her target audience. How dare she say America was never racist given the history of this country. She is talking to rich white people who are tired of hearing black people complain about how racist and unfair America treats black people. If she chooses to ignore her own racist treatment that’s on her but you WILL NOT tell a group of people who have been mistreated for hundreds of years because of skin color that America is not racist.

Nimrata Rindhawa is freaking NUTZ.

She makes no sense!!!!

I've heard a lot of ignorant statements about America's history, but that particular one might get the prize for most ignorant. So, according to Haley, we have been equitable in all our dealings with the native population of this country, to the slaves, to any immigrants arriving here, to people of other races living in our communities, to our neighbors who aren't of the same race? We never ever made any prejudicial decisions or laws based on race whatsoever. I could give so many examples of why this is idiocy I don't even know where to begin....

Marshmallows have a bigger backbone🤦‍♀️

The country which placed the three-fifths clause in its constitution has never been a racist country? Yeah, and Ireland is the leading Buddhist nation on the planet.

All of Nikki Haley is a lost cause…

She gave the dumbest response in life 😂😂😂

The best way to fix MAGA is Vote Blue up and down the ballot.

Keep in mind that Nikki Healy would grant Trump a pardon; this crucial detail should not be overlooked during the election, creating chaos again.

Her parents immigrated from one super racist country to another one. It's no surprise she turned out like this. The ultimate "pick me".

Has she never heard of Selma Alabama?

She should not have gone there in the beginning. Never poke a sleeping bear. This is a self inflicted wound. Or more precise she shot herself in the foot

Do Republicans sit there saying ‘which one of these is a more horrible person ?’ And then choose that one?

Anytime GOP points a finger there are 3 fingers and a thumb pointing back.

"It's easier to fool Trumpers than to convince them that they have been fooled." Mark Twain.

Nikki's dad was a professor at a HBCU. How does she not see the direct correlation between slavery & the civil war ?

Prior to this year, I’d have just sat back and observed her strategy. Now she’s undoing her own campaign from the inside: 1) She believed it when she first said it. 2) The constitution was written in an inherently racist manner. 3) Her explanation is nonsensical because if she tried to name the “fixes” she’d have to also admit the role slavery played in the Civil War. 4) She’s flummoxed by having to be either authentically herself (good or bad) or to chase multiple sects of voters simultaneously, all of whom are now witnessing her continuously flipping her own script.

She can't actually believe this.😂

Imagine a GOP political candidate with an ounce of integrity.

Someone should ask Haley what was her intent when she changed her first name from Nimarata to Nikki?😂😂😂

Just Utterly DISGUSTING!!!

Ole "Sidestepping" Dancing Nikki Haley... Man

Nikkky...Highly suggest you go to the Library of Congress and actually READ the entire section on American History... it's quite obvious it's long overdue...

Haley seems to spend most of her time making excuses for her ignorant remarks.

Too bad. I thought she’d make a viable alternative to Trump but this isn’t a good look.

The Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution says all men are created equal. The Constitution says a black man is counted as 3/5th of a free man, not equal.

Nikki is having an American Dream where everything is perfect and no bad things happened, such as slavery, racism, etc.

Why she change her name in first place

Can’t upset the base 🤦🏽‍♀️🤣🤣🤣🤣 If you’re scared to tell the truth you are scared of your base. This is very telling

Where does it end? Next she and the GOP will tell us slavery never existed, women always had the vote and state legislatures never chose US senators.

She should just end her campaign now

That Party Is DEAD. ETTD. Vote Blue Everything PLEASE 🎉

I'll continue to support our President Joe Biden ❤🎉❤

I'm black, Alaskan native & Irish. Nikki Haley is so tone def, so dug into the right wing that I don't see how she could ever win the presidency. She reminds me of elementary school in the 80's with all the idealism mixed with lies and misdirection about racism and Columbus "discovering" America 🤦🏾‍♂️

She stopped me dead in my tracks when she said she would pardon the great orange oompah loompah.

In Germany, it is against the law to deny the Shoah, because it is judged as hate speech. And I think that is right. America needs a similar law.

Can someone PLEASE show Nikki how to properly apply makeup?

The lengths some conservatives BS themselves is astounding.

Not the double down! This woman keeps digging a deeper hole. What's sad is that she knows that what Jake tapper said is true. She just also knows that her base does not want to hear it.

Hah… ya know, I know of a few history books that would disagree with miss Haley… then again, these people don’t believe in history, or science, or reality… so why are y’all expecting something different from this one?

She not smart!!!

Nikki Haley has lost her ever-loving mind with that thought process!!

Nickie is right in a way about views of SOME of the Founders having idealistic views about equality for all, but others would never agree to was abolition of slavery. We all know the rest of the story.

They got rid of slavery but still needed to go through a civil rights movement many years later. She is crazy.

This is clearly one who is committed to the culture that keeping truth elusive shamelessly.

If Nikki Haley "ever" imagined she had any significant backing of people of color, I believe those notions will be blown out of the window with these comments!

Haley can pretend that the "intention" of the country was to be nonracist, But she CAN'T pretend that it wasn't deliberately misogynistic. "Men" are created equal, and she repeats that a number of times.

She might as well throw in the towel

Funny, Trump just call her by her indian name Nimarata...oups Nimbra or someting like this :)

She knows perfectly well that the USA can be racist and has a history of racism, why else does she go by her middle name rather than her full government name.

Then what was Jim Crow about?!!!!?

"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it"

She’s playing dumb for the base. But is it really working??

As long as she keeps running her mouth, people will keep hearing how stupid the beliefs she espouses are. It is not that hard to say America was racist. Wild that she keeps digging in on THIS of all things. It is factually wrong.

If you cannot admit and accept the mistakes of the past, you will never be better than that mistake and can never improve your life or the lives around you beyond that failure. If you have to deny and lie and cover it up, you know it was wrong and you will never move past that or make things better until you acknowledge the wrong as a wrong. If you have to lie about history and reality, there is no way I would vote for you. You are not good enough.

How would she know? She's a 1st. Generation American. She didn't live through the 60's like did. A riot on TV everyday. 😮

Nimarata NIKKI Randhawa is being disingenuous.

It is disqualifying for a candidate to be so clueless. Just waiting for her rally in Stone Mrn, GA. Nuff said.

What is is about Republicans that, when stuck in a hole, they grab a shovel and keep on digging?

I wonder how Native Americans feel about her answer.

I used to have an ounce of respect for Haley before she spoke that nonsense.

There is Trump then there is the knuckleheads. Haley doesn’t think slavery was a cause of Civil war. Desantis thinks slavery helped by teaching certain trades

I am white European and I had racist remarks many times in USA , probably Nikki as a considered gypsy as an Indian in Europe "never" had it before here 😂😂.

I wouldn't trust Nikki Haley to watch my kids.

Somebody should take her to both the equal justice museum and lynching memorial in Montgomery. Let her see the horrors and the dots they connect for you. Maybe she'll notice that so many cities that currently house federal prisons are the same cities with the highest number of recorded lynching. Like Edgefield, SC. Proud hone to 10 SC governors. She can believe whatever she wants about herself and be married to whoever. Doesn't change who she is, and those people, like Trump, are happy to remind her, as the need arises.

She cant explain herself without stuttering out her lies

She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Even her jaw is trying to work against her.Clench clench clench !!

NICKY IS protecting the base because they are the racst.😮

She’s intellectually dishonest.

Al Sharpton 1:38, framed this so well. Such a powerful response.

Unfortunately Nikki’s gonna dummy down by over using the “ woman” card……she’s still a total lightweight and ultimate flipflopper

The verbal gymnastics she exibits is amazing. Oh but she's about to find out what they really think about her. Maga is gonna give her a reality check.

Al Sharpton is on point. "Men are created equal" didn't include Black and minority men. Nikki is lost and she tries too hard to appease Trump supporters. Trump supporters will never vote for Nikki unless Nikki is Trump's brother or son and Trump is not on the ballot. Her parents came from a country beyond racism. India has classism and regionism. Trump put Nikki where she was, but not to be better than him.

America wasn't racist; Southerners fought to keep those slaves. That's how much they loved them.

What a joke

Nikki is trying to attract the soft Trump supporters who are looking to latch on to someone who espouses many of the views Trump does, without all the undesirable stuff. The problem is that most of those support Desantis and most of the Haley support is from never Trump Republicans, Independents and some Democrats. Unfortunately for her, those combined are not enough to win her the nomination.

Perhaps she meant to say "America has never been a more racist country". Ironically, the party that was originally anti-slavery, is the main reason for that.

Nicky tell me about the civil war ?

I disagree with Basil, Haley’s father didn’t face racism because ‘the US has never been a racist country’

She is delusional.

Where did I learn about 10-15 derogatory terms for black people? I've always lived in this country.

THEY SHOULD PUT TRUMP'S PICTURE ON MOUNT RUSHMORE FOR BEING THE GREATEST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY....

Who cares what Nikki Clinton says

poor Haley is a product of her pitiful southern education. There was the 3/5 rule of counting who is a person. She probably does NOT know better. Bless her heart.

...the dumpster fire that is the GOP does not end with Trump.

What's the definition of a racist country or what are the qualifications that someone can say that a country is racist?...,

Can't defend them. She won't say slavery caused the Civil War! THAT'S a problem - BIGLY!

Is she joking? What the heck?

That same document also said that black people were 3/5ths of a person, ffs!

All people in prison had the "intent" of doing what they felt was right also. These Republicans make your head spin

She needs to just stop talking. Why do they always get Al Shapton? He is NOT the voice of the people.

Nickky do yourself a favor and and drop out.

She well lose miserably. I am tired of getting her junk mail. She has no chance against Trump.