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more for their own defense; opposition to illegal immigration;
and most important, a willingness to defend all of the above un-
apologetically. Many of these were fringe positions pre-Trump;
they are now the new GOP catechism.
Haley is “a principled neo-Trumpian,” says Cliff May, founder
and president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democra-
cies, a Washington think tank. In the eyes of her advocates, she
would sand down the rougher stylistic edges of Trump-ism—
the constant tweeting, the rhetorical combativeness that ex-
hausted so many Republicans over the last four years—while
adhering to most of Trump’s policies.
The one issue on which she differs markedly from Trump is
race. Her friends cite what was arguably the signature moment
of her two terms as governor in South Carolina: the 2015 killing
of nine African-Americans at Mother Emanuel African Method-
ist Episcopal Church, a Black congregation outside Charleston,
by a white supremacist.policy. She has none of Trump’s sharp edges, but would bring,
political allies believe, similar policies to the White House.
The idea of “Trump-ism without Trump” has serious appeal
for many Republicans who believe Haley is positioned to be the
bridge between “Trump-ism” and more conventional conserva-
tism. For a long time after his shock victory in 2016, most estab-
lishment Republicans believed Trumpism was like a hurricane
blowing through town: an isolated event that causes damage but
won’t be repeated anytime soon. The narrow 2020 loss—and
the 74 million votes Trump received, more than any previous
Republican candidate—put the lie to that idea.
Haley, her friends say, long ago came to the conclusion that
the establishment view of Trump and what he stood for was
wrong. She understood that the key policy tenets of Trumpism
that differ markedly from what used to be GOP catechism are
here to stay: skepticism of free trade; deep reluctance to deploy
U.S. troops in protracted ground wars; a demand that allies pay
COOLER
Nikki Haley (right, after
being elected to a second
term as South Carolina
governor in 2014) may
appeal to moderate
Republican voters
who are turned off by
Trump s ʀamethrower
rhetorical style and that
of his son and possible
political heir, Donald Jr.After Haley’s comments
on the Capitol riot,
“heads were exploding”
at Mar-a-Lago.