Taipei, Taiwan — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley defended Republican nominee Donald Trump on Saturday during his visit to Taiwan, saying isolationist policies were “unhealthy” and urging the Republican to stand with America’s allies.
Haley, who is running alongside Trump as the party’s presidential nominee, told reporters in the capital Taipei that it was essential to support U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, and stressed the importance of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, which it can control by force if necessary. “I don’t think an isolationist approach is healthy. I don’t think the United States can ever sit in a bubble and think we’re not going to be affected,” she said.
The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan, but it is Taiwan’s most powerful supporter and major arms supplier. But Trump’s attempts to regain the presidency have heightened concerns. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July, he said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection, and he declined to answer questions about whether he would defend Taiwan against Chinese military action.
When Haley suspended her bid for the GOP nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, accusing him of creating chaos and ignoring the importance of America’s alliances abroad. But in May she said she would vote for him, making it clear that her former boss had work to do to attract voters who supported her.
On Saturday, she said she previously worked in the Trump administration and pointed to other efforts, including pushback against China and sanctions on Russia and North Korea, where “we showed the world the power of America.”
“I think all the strength that we showed is why we didn’t see war back then, why we didn’t see invasion, why we didn’t see any damage. I think Donald Trump is going to bring that back,” she said.
Haley also criticized Trump’s rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would do “exactly” what President Joe Biden did. She said Harris was in his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israeli war broke out last year.
“She was in the Situation Room right next to Joe Biden. She was making the exact same decisions. Those decisions made the world less safe,” she said.
Haley added that while Republicans and Democrats may not agree on many things right now, they do agree on the “China threat,” adding that Taiwan is now “trying to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, they’re ready to fight back.”
She said her party must stand with America’s allies and show America is strong around the world. She also said any authoritarian regimes and “communists” who harm or are harming other free nations should be a personal problem for the United States.
“We don’t want to see communist China win. We don’t want to see Russia win. We don’t want to see Iran win or North Korea win,” she said.
Haley began her trip to Taiwan this week, where she met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. She called for more international support for the self-governing island, a coordinated pushback against China’s claims, and Taiwan’s full membership in the United Nations.
