DES MOINES,IA – Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has sparked a frenzy on social media with a recent interview, shedding light on her struggling presidential campaign’s prospects. In a joint interview with NBC News Correspondent Dasha Burns and Brianne Pfannenstiel, chief politics reporter at the Des Moines Register, Haley discussed her experiences growing up “as a brown girl” in South Carolina, further igniting criticisms with discussions on race.
“We were the only Indian family in our small Southern town. I was teased every day for being brown. So anyone that wants to question it, can go back and look at what I’ve said on how hard it was to grow up in the Deep South as a brown girl,” Haley said.
Born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa to immigrant parents from Amritsar, Punjab, India, Haley has always gone by her middle name, Nikki.
The former two-term South Carolina governor has recently faced criticism for her comments at a New Hampshire town hall where she failed to accurately acknowledge slavery as a cause of the Civil War, leading to backlash from both Republicans and Democrats.
Recognizing the gravity of her mistake, Haley has since worked to clarify her stance and address the concerns raised by her remarks, however, Haley’s presidential campaign continues to navigate these challenges, striving to connect with voters and address pressing issues facing the nation.
