Nikki Haley Says Trump ‘Emboldens’ Dictators During CNN Town Hall: ‘Don’t Congratulate Our Enemies’
After ex-president Donald Trump congratulated Kim Jong Un in a Truth Social post, he was condemned for it by 2024 Republican presidential candidates Gov. Ron DeSantis and former VP Mike Pence. And at CNN’s Presidential Town Hall, former ambassador to the U.N. during the Trump administration Nikki Haley said never to “congratulate our enemies.”
Haley joined CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday for a live town hall event with Iowa voters, during which she was asked about issues that are important in the state as well as in the Republican primary at large, such as abortion policy and, of course, her rivals for the nomination.
Tapper asked about Trump’s post congratulating Kim Jong Un, which both DeSantis and Pence blasted him for doing.
Haley called the brutal North Korean dictator a “thug” and said that congratulating him is wrong and emboldens him.
Tapper asked, “Were you uncomfortable with how Mr. Trump dealt with and how his attitude was towards Kim Jong Un while you worked at the UN?”
“There’s nothing good or decent about Kim Jong Un,” Haley replied. “There’s no reason we should ever congratulate the fact that they are now vice chair of the World Health Organization.”
Since Haley did not directly answer or mention Trump, Tapper asked again if her response indicates that Trump’s doing so did bother her, and that she didn’t like it.
“I don’t think we ever should congratulate dictators,” Haley answered. “Congratulate our friends, don’t congratulate our enemies. It emboldens them when we do that.”
TAPPER: You were the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under President Trump, as I’ve noted. On Friday, Mr. Trump congratulated Kim Jong un because North Korea had ascended to a leadership role in the World Health Organization. What was your reaction to that? And were you uncomfortable with how Mr. Trump dealt with and how his attitude was towards Kim Jong Un while you worked at the UN?
HALEY: I mean, Kim Jong Un is a thug. And if you see what he has done to his own people in North Korea, when money went to North Korea, it didn’t go to feed their people. It went to feed their nuclear program. There’s nothing good or decent about Kim Jong Un. There’s no reason we should ever congratulate the fact that they are now vice chair of the World Health Organization. And it goes to the fact that also the World Health Organization is a farce to start with. We saw that during COVID.
TAPPER: So it did bother you and you didn’t, you didn’t like his congratulating of Kim Jong Un, and you didn’t like how he dealt with him when he was—.
HALEY: I don’t think we ever should congratulate dictators. Congratulate our friends, don’t congratulate our enemies. It emboldens them when we do that.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
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