Is Nikki Haley A Badass Or Do We Have Trump Blinders On?

Nikki Haley, the Trump Administration's ambassador to the United Nations, is making waves this week after she pushed back hard in a dispute with the White House. 

It started when Haley announced fresh sanctions against Russia on Monday following the latest alleged chemical attacks by Syria's Assad regime (which is supported by Russia). President Trump and the White House had reportedly changed their mind about the sanctions without telling Haley, and on Tuesday White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters that "she got ahead of the curve… There might have been some momentary confusion on that."

Haley pushed back against the sexist and patronizing response from the White House, telling Dana Perino on Fox News: "With all due respect, I don't get confused," airing the White House's communications failure.

The open clash is a bold statement from an establishment darling in an administration prone to high turnover, but Haley has a history of boldly speaking her mind despite larger administration positions. 

To many, the habit casts Haley as a hero for truth, but is she just the sanest one in the room? You be the judge. 

Haley Has Repeatedly Criticized Russia As The White House Has Taken A Lax Tone

In February, Haley took a strong stance against Russia's occupation of Crimea, telling the UN Security Council "the United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea," despite President Trump's suggestion during his campaign that the US may recognize the annexation. The same day as Haley's criticism, the Treasury Department loosened sanction against Russia's Federal Security Service. According to a report in The New York Times, Trump was furious over her statements, asking, "Who wrote that for her?"

In October 2017, Haley called Russia's efforts to interfere in the US election an act of "warfare" the same week that President Trump said "the whole Russian thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election." In July, Haley had said "everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," days after Trump issued vague statements on the matter, saying, "nobody really knows for sure."

Haley Has Been Outspoken About Human Rights Interventions

Haley has repeatedly stood up for international human rights actions despite Trump administration statements downplaying concerns. Haley was the first US Ambassador to deliver remarks to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last June. Last May, Haley visited refugees on the Turkey-Syria border emphasizing the international need to accommodate those fleeing wars. In June, Haley criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record, noting that despite its place on the Human Rights Council, it is known for repeated abuses.

The actions stood in stark contrast to Trump's statements and policies on human rights. Trump has repeatedly attempted to stop refugee resettlement in the United States through executive orders, while suggesting billions in cuts to the UN that would defund Refugee aid programs. In May, Trump indicated that the US would look away from Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses, saying, "We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be or how to worship," during his visit to the country.

Haley Has Been Firm In Her Support Of A Two-State Solution In The Israeli-Palestinean Conflict

In February 2017, Haley contradicted President Trump's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, telling reports "the two-state solution is what we support. Anybody that wants to say the United States does not support the two-state solution — that would be an error." A day earlier, President Trump suggested that the US was no longer committed to the idea, saying "I'm looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I'm very happy with the one that both parties like… I can live with either one."

Haley Spoke Up About Kicking Assad Out Of Syria

After Syria used chemical weapons to attack its own people in 2017, Haley vocally spoke against the Trump Administration's previously held position that the US was not interested in getting involved in regime change in the country. "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen because all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria," Haley told CNN's Jake Tapper. Tillerson notably diverged from Haley's endorsement of regime change, saying "Once we can eliminate the battle against ISIS, conclude that, and it is going quite well, then we hope to turn our attention to cease-fire agreements between the regime and opposition forces."

Only a few weeks earlier, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters "there is a political reality that we have to accept in terms of where we are right now… we need to focus now on defeating ISIS." 

But Haley Isn't Necessarily A Moderate

Haley's seeming sanity in the chaos of the Trump administration doesn't seem to solely be a result of comparison — before she became ambassador she was a darling in the moderate Republican community. In the wake of the Charleston church massacre, she ordered the Confederate flag removed from the South Carolina capitol. After Trump's election, she called for her party to be more accepting of people of color and immigrants. In her response to President Obama's State of the Union in 2016, Haley warned against anger towards immigrants, later calling Trump's proposed Muslim ban "an embarrassment."

But previous positions also show that Haley could not be classified as moderate. Yahoo summarizes:

She refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. She signed an Arizona-style immigration law forcing police officers to report anyone they suspected of being a noncitizen. She pushed for stricter enforcement of South Carolina's E-Verify rules… She isn't calling for new gun-control measures. She has pushed steep cuts to the state budget. She has sought to curb regulations and limit lawsuits. She is vehemently opposed to Obamacare. She is hostile to unions. And after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., she joined two dozen other governors in declaring that their states would not accept Syrian refugees.

[Yahoo]

Could She Just Be Playing Politics?

By establishing herself as a counterweight to Trump in his own administration, Haley probably looks great to most Republicans, and maybe some Democrats, right now. As a result, she's rumored to be a potential replacement for Trump in the 2020 election.

She's apparently done such a good job at winning support, Trump has reportedly also become suspicious. When Mike Pence named Haley's deputy Jon Lerner as his new national security adviser, Trump forced Lerner to step down purportedly because he was involved in a previous anti-Trump ad campaign.

While Haley hasn't addressed rumors about a presidential run, her colleagues in the UN apparently think it's obvious. According to Bloomberg, other ambassadors consider her harder line positions as "necessary political posturing," citing her "obvious domestic political ambitions."