Inside Nikki Haley's Relationship With Her Son Nalin
Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is the mother of two adult children, daughter Rena Haley and son, Nalin Haley. During her controversial bid for the White House, Nikki had the support of both of her kids, though it was Nalin who worked the closest with her. The political science major at Villanova University worked on his mother's campaign, even helping with donation efforts. However, many people know him for how he often came to Nikki's defense during her public battles.
In one instance, he poked fun at Donald Trump endorsers, even calling Senator Tim Scott "Senator Judas" during a February 2024 rally. As a stark Christian, Nalin used this biblical reference to liken Scott to Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' 12 apostles, who betrayed him. This was due to him failing to endorse Nikki, despite her nominating him to the Senate during her tenure as the governor of South Carolina. Nalin's excitement about Nikki's Washington, D.C. ambitions has been evident before and after she decided to run for president.
Nalin was proud of his mother's time as governor
Nikki Haley served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. During that time, her son Nalin Haley was still in high school. Still, it appears that he was in tune with her career and offered his support. One instance where this was evident was when he witnessed his mother deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's 2016 State of the Union. In her address, Nikki pointed out several shortcomings of the 44th president, such as lingering national debt and a struggling health care system.
Following her January 2016 speech, Haley shared a photo of her and Nalin on Facebook. In the heartwarming image, she is seen kissing the then-teenager on the cheek, revealing in the caption the touching words he shared with her following the speech. "Nalin immediately came downstairs after I gave the Republican address to tell me how proud he was. Sweet Moment for a mom to hear that from her son," she wrote on her post, which attracted over 9,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
Nalin has used his social media to call out his mother's opponents
Nalin Haley is vocal online, often backing many of Nikki Haley's government views, especially on X. Though he only has a little over 6,000 followers, many of his posts attract a lot of engagement. While Nikki ended her presidential bid in March 2024, Nalin continued to support his mother and expressed his political standpoint online as well.
For instance, in May 2024, he shared a photo of himself and his dog with the caption: "I'm Nalin, I'm 22 years old, and I can't wait to NOT vote for Biden." Nikki has been a stark critic of President Joe Biden, so it comes as no surprise that her son is not the biggest fan of him as well. On June 11, he retweeted a video of Nikki slamming President Joe Biden for allegedly aligning himself with Iran, which she said helped fuel the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Flexing his knowledge of foreign policies, Nalin also fired at former President Barack Obama, writing, "The Iran nuclear deal was one of the worst foreign policy actions of the Obama admin and that's saying a lot. Taxpayer dollars belong to Americans not for paying off our enemies." With their shared passion for governmental matters, it seems the mother and son duo really do have a close bond.