Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley has announced a new job, and she defied predictions. Haley served on the board of defense contractor Boeing after leaving former President Donald Trump’s administration, before running for president herself.
Rival candidate Vivek Ramaswamy once predicted “her future career on the boards of Lockheed and Raytheon.”
Then on Monday, Haley announced her decision to work on the other side of the Swamp — not for a defense contractor, but for a policy institute.
Haley is joining the neoconservative Hudson Institute as a chair, she said in a joint statement with the organization.
“When our policymakers fail to call out our enemies or acknowledge the importance of our alliances, the world is less safe. That is why Hudson’s work is so critical,” Haley said. “They believe the American people should have the facts and policymakers should have the solutions to support a secure, free, and prosperous future. I look forward to partnering with them to defend the principles that make America the greatest country in the world.”
Haley received the organization’s global leadership award in 2018 during her stint as Trump’s ambassador to the U.N. During that time, Haley became known for her hawkish views on foreign policy, despite having spent most of her public service career at the state level.
With Trump skipping every GOP debate, Haley missed her chance for a face-to-face critique of her old boss’s foreign policy. Still, Haley used the debates to slam the views of biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump acolyte.
“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel,” Haley said of Ramaswamy, during an August debate. “You don’t do that to friends. What you do instead is you have the backs of your friends.”
The Hudson Institute credited Haley with helping to tackle the era’s political upheavals.
“It is fitting that Nikki has taken on this title,” Sarah May Stern, chair of Hudson’s Board of Trustees, said in the statement. “She is a courageous and insightful policymaker and these qualities are vital in making Hudson the powerhouse policy organization it is today, and I am extremely proud that she has joined the Institute.”
“Nikki is a proven, effective leader on both foreign and domestic policy,” Hudson President and CEO John P. Walters said in the statement. “In an era of worldwide political upheaval, she has remained a steadfast defender of freedom and an effective advocate for American security and prosperity. We are honored to have her join the Hudson team.”
Among its alumni, the Hudson Institute counts former Vice President Dan Quayle, Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, and the late Secretary of State Alexander Haig.
The organization has become known for advising defense officials. On Tuesday, it published a report on Russia’s possible future in the Black Sea region, including Ukraine and Georgia.
Take a look at one of Nikki Haley’s moments —
NIKKI HALEY to Vivek: You're choosing a murderer over a pro-American country. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows! pic.twitter.com/P27LEEKt0L
— Team Haley (@TeamHaley) August 24, 2023
Haley suspended her campaign last month. In the primary, she’d won only Vermont and the District of Columbia, and she’d clinched 96 delegates, compared to about 1,000 for Trump.
Five weeks on, Haley has yet to endorse anyone for president.
BrianiCovingtoniis a reporter for The Horn News