Nikki Haley's Feelings About Former President Barack Obama Are Clear

We all know the truth about Nikki Haley and Donald Trump's relationship. Suffice it to say, it's complicated. But how does Haley feel about one of his greatest nemeses, proud Democrat and Former President Barack Obama? One might assume that the former governor would have a cordial relationship with him. However, the famous "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" saying doesn't exactly apply to the pair.

In fact, Haley has been quite critical of the Obama administration. Speaking on the January 31, 2024 episode of "The Breakfast Club," the outspoken politician stated that Americans started to feel divided during his tenure, arguing, "It became more about gender, more about race, it became more about separating Americans instead of bringing them together." 

Haley also restated and defended her opinion that America isn't and has never been a racist country. She went on to criticize Obama for his relations with Iran, a country that she asserted "says 'Death to America,'" calling him "an Iranian sympathizer." Haley even condemned Obama's spending habits while in office and accused him of using his executive powers excessively.

After Barack Obama gave his last State of the Union address as president, Nikki Haley responded on behalf of the entire Republican party. "As he did when he first ran for office, tonight, President Obama spoke eloquently about grand things," she began. "He's at his best when he does that. Unfortunately, the president's record has often fallen far short of his soaring words" (via C-Span). 

The then-governor of South Carolina blamed Obama for the poor economy, the healthcare crisis, and the threat of ISIS. She also accused him of being either incompetent or simply uninterested in these key issues. Months later, Haley attacked him again, after the Obama-appointed Department of Homeland Security restricted South Carolina from using E-verify to control immigration. 

At the time, she railed, "It is absolutely ludicrous that we are now fighting the fact that we can't even enforce our own illegal immigration laws," (via The Post and Courier). Haley also promised to be relentless until she got what she felt her state needed.

Although Barack Obama isn't known for being a loud critic, he's made it clear that he's no fan of Nikki Haley. During an interview on "The Axe Files with David Axelrod" podcast, the former president pointed out several flaws in her ideology about race inequality. In particular, Obama criticized Haley for playing down racism and division in the country by using her mixed race and success as evidence of progress. 

Obama said of Haley, "Look at me. I'm [an] Asian Indian-American woman. And my family came here, and we worked hard." When the host pointed out that he had used a similar speech in 2004, the bestselling author quickly clarified that he acknowledged many of the same problems still exist and he strived to help fix them. 

"There may come a time where there's somebody in the Republican Party that is more serious about actually addressing some of the deep inequality that still exists in our society that tracks race and is a consequence of our racial history. And if that happens, I think that would be fantastic. I haven't yet seen it," Obama reasoned.