Nikki Haley

Early life

Haley was born as Nimarata Nikki Randhawa at Bamberg County Memorial Hospital in Bamberg, South Carolina, to immigrant Punjabi Jat Sikh parents from Amritsar, Punjab, India. Before moving to North America, her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa (1933–2024), was a professor at Punjab Agricultural University, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa (1936–2025), received her law degree from the University of Delhi. They had an arranged marriage and moved in 1964 when Ajit accepted a PhD program scholarship from the University of British Columbia. After Ajit graduated in 1969, he began as a professor at Voorhees College, a historically black institution, and the family settled in South Carolina. Raj earned a master's degree in education and taught social studies in the Bamberg Public Schools for seven years. She founded a successful women's boutique, Exotica International, where she began to work full time. Nikki began assisting with bookkeeping when she was 12. The business expanded to menswear in 1993, with The Gentlemen's Quarters, and both stores remained open until Raj retired in 2008.

Haley has two brothers and a sister. She attended Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, graduating in 1989. She graduated from Clemson University in 1994 with a B.S. degree in accounting and finance. Haley has been known by her middle name, Nikki, a Punjabi name meaning "little one", since she was born.

Early career

After graduating from college, Haley worked for FCR Corporation, a waste management and recycling company, before joining her family's clothing business as its bookkeeper and chief financial officer. After she married Michael Haley in 1996, she became active in civic affairs. In 1998, she was named to the board of directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce. She was named to the board of directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003, and president in 2004.

Haley chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for a local hospital. She also served on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff's Foundation, and West Metro Republican Women. She was the president of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and was chair for the 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign.

South Carolina House of Representatives (2005–2011)

Campaigns

In 2004, Haley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 87 in Lexington County. She ran in the Republican primary on a platform of education reform and property tax relief. Initially, she ran because she believed that incumbent Republican state representative Larry Koon, who was the longest-serving legislator in the South Carolina Statehouse at the time, was not going to seek reelection, but Koon entered the race just before the filing deadline.

In the primary election, Koon received 42 percent of the vote, Haley received 40 percent, and David Perry received 17 percent. As no candidate received a majority of the vote (50 percent or higher), Haley and Koon advanced to a runoff election on June 22. In the runoff, she defeated Koon 55 percent to 45 percent. After his loss, Koon accused Haley of running a smear campaign, which she denied. She ran unopposed in the general election.

Haley became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina. She was unopposed for re-election to a second term in 2006. In 2008, she won re-election with 83 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Edgar Gomez, who garnered only 17 percent.

Legislative tenure and policies

Haley was elected chair of the freshman caucus in 2005 and majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly. She was the only freshman legislator who had been named to be a whip at the time.

One of Haley's stated goals was to lower taxes. She voted against a proposed cigarette surtax three times. She voted for a bill that raised sales taxes from five cents per dollar to six cents per dollar, exempted sales tax on unprepared food such as canned goods, and exempted property tax on "owner-occupied residential property" except for the taxes due from what is still owed on the property. Haley was named a "Taxpayer Hero" by Governor Mark Sanford in 2005 and a "Friend of the Taxpayer" by the South Carolina Association of Taxpayers in 2009.

Haley implemented a plan in which teachers' salaries would be based on not only seniority and qualifications but also job performance, as determined by evaluations and reports from principals, students, and parents. She supports school choice and charter schools. Haley also supports barring legislators from collecting legislative pensions while in office. She believes such pensions should be based on only the $10,400 legislative salary instead of the salary plus lawmakers' $12,000 annual expense allowance.

Haley has stated that, as a daughter of immigrants, she believes the immigration laws should be enforced. She voted in favor of a law that requires employers to be able to prove that newly hired employees are legal residents of the United States, and also requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving that they are legally in the United States.

Haley describes herself as pro-life and has supported legislation to restrict abortion. She has stated "I'm not pro-life because the Republican Party tells me. I'm pro-life because all of us have had experiences of what it means to have one of these special little ones in our life." In 2009, she co-sponsored a bill that would mandate a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions after an ultrasound, also known as the "reflecting" period. The bill passed both legislative chambers in 2010 and was signed into law by Governor Sanford later that year.

In 2016, as governor, Haley re-signed a new state law that bans abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy. She has voted in favor of some abortion-related bills that were tabled or rejected, including the Inclusion of Unborn Child/Fetus in Definition for Civil Suits Amendment, Prohibiting Employment Termination Due to Abortion Waiting Period amendment, and Exempting Cases of Rape from Abortion Waiting Period amendment. The latter would have allowed women not to have to wait 24 hours before having an abortion in some cases.

Governor of South Carolina (2011–2017)

2010 gubernatorial election

On May 14, 2009, Haley announced that she would run for the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina in the 2010 election. Haley had been persuaded to run by incumbent governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford. She was endorsed by

former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, as well as Jenny Sanford, the first lady of South Carolina. Haley also received the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin three weeks before the primary. When she received Palin's endorsement, Haley was trailing three other candidates in the polls.

The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on June 8, 2010, and Haley received 49% of the vote, forcing a runoff election on June 22. Haley won the runoff vote 65 to 35 percent. According to ABC News, "pundits credited the notable endorsements of tea party groups, former state first lady Jenny Sanford, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with legitimizing her candidacy in the face of the state's male-dominated political establishment".

Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010, defeating Democratic candidate Vincent Sheheen, 51% to 47%. Upon her election, Haley became the third non-white American to be elected governor of a Southern state (the first two such governors were Virginia's Douglas Wilder and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal).

2014 reelection

On August 12, 2013, Haley announced she would seek a second term as governor. She faced a challenge in the Republican primary from Tom Ervin, who later withdrew and reentered the race as an independent. As in 2010, Vincent Sheheen of the Democratic Party ran against Haley. Libertarian Steve French and United Citizens Party candidate Morgan Bruce Reeves also ran. The five candidates debated twice. A week after the second debate, Ervin withdrew from the race and endorsed Sheheen.

Haley was reelected on November 4, 2014, defeating Sheheen, 55.9% to 41.3%.

Tenure

Haley took office as governor in January 2011. In 2012, former governor Mitt Romney considered her for his vice-presidential running mate. Haley said that she would turn down any potential vice presidential offer.

In June 2011, Haley signed an "Arizona-style" immigration law. Much of the act was blocked by the federal courts, which found several key provisions to be unconstitutional.

During her second term, Haley feuded with veteran lawmakers in the General Assembly. She endorsed powerful senate finance chairman Hugh Leatherman's primary opponent in 2016. After winning the primary, Leatherman stated that Haley was not just a lame duck, but a "dead duck". Her second term as governor was set to expire on January 9, 2019; however, Haley resigned her position on January 24, 2017, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley delivered the official Republican response to President Barack Obama's 2016 State of the Union Address on January 12, 2016.

In 2016, Haley was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Haley was mentioned in January 2016 as a potential candidate for vice presidency in the 2016 presidential election. On May 4, 2016, after Trump became the presumptive presidential nominee, Haley said she had no interest in the vice presidential nomination.

Four lieutenant governors served under Haley. Haley, a Republican, welcomed Yancey McGill, a Democrat, to serve as her lieutenant governor after Glenn F. McConnell's resignation. Haley was initially against having a Democrat serve as the second-in-command to the governor, but she, along with the Senate, eventually acquiesced.

On December 17, 2012, Haley announced she would appoint Tim Scott to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Senator Jim DeMint, who previously announced that he would retire from the Senate to become the president of the Heritage Foundation. Following his appointment, Scott became the first African American U.S. senator from South Carolina.

Gubernatorial policies

Upon becoming governor, Haley appointed Bobby Hitt as the state's secretary of commerce. In her State of the State address and other speeches, she touted South Carolina's economic growth and low unemployment rate, and urged businesses to move to the state based on a low cost of doing business, "a loyal, willing workforce," and South Carolina's status as "one of the lowest union-participation states in the country."

Before June 2015, Haley supported flying the Confederate flag on the statehouse grounds. In the immediate aftermath of the Charleston church shooting, Haley did not take a position on removing the flag, saying, "I think the state will start talking about that again, and we'll see where it goes." On June 22, Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. She stated:

"These grounds [the State Capital] are a place that everybody should feel a part of. What I realized now more than ever is people were driving by and felt hurt and pain. No one should feel pain." Haley also said, "There is a place for that flag", but she added, "It's not in a place that represents all people in South Carolina."

In July 2015, Haley signed a bill to authorize removing the Confederate flag from the flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol. In December 2019, she defended the people of South Carolina, saying that "some people" in South Carolina saw the flag as a representation of "service and sacrifice and heritage" before the flag was hijacked by the white supremacist mass killer Dylann Roof. In regard to the state trial of Roof, Haley urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against him.

In April 2016, Haley indicated she would not support an anti-trans "bathroom bill" introduced by the South Carolina State Senate that would require transgender individuals to use restrooms based on their gender assigned at birth. Haley said that the legislation was unnecessary and would not solve any identifiable problem in the state.

In 2021, Haley spoke against Executive Order 13988, officially titled Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.

Veto record

During her 2011–2017 gubernatorial term, Haley vetoed 50 bills, 24 (48%) of which were overridden by the state legislature.

United States ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)

Nomination and confirmation

On November 23, 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Haley for ambassador to the United Nations. Upon taking office on January 20, 2017, Trump sent Haley's nomination to the United States Senate. She was confirmed two days later on a 96–4 vote; the four senators who voted against Haley were independent Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Democrats Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), Tom Udall (New Mexico), and Chris Coons (Delaware).

Trump reportedly considered Haley for the position of secretary of state, which she declined. Haley was the first Indian American to hold a Cabinet-level position. Immediately following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Haley resigned as South Carolina governor, and Lt. Governor Henry McMaster became governor.

Haley was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on January 25, 2017. She met with United Nations secretary-general António Guterres on January 27, 2017, at the UN Headquarters in New York City. She replaced Ambassador Samantha Power.

Tenure

Defining aspects of Haley's tenure as U.S. ambassador include her consistently strong advocacy for Israel, her defense of the Trump administration's 2018 withdrawal of the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, and her withdrawal of the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council, a move reversed under the Biden administration, when the U.S. rejoined the council.

She defended the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, a move later reversed, as the Biden administration reentered the agreement. As ambassador, Haley sometimes took positions at odds from the Trump White House; she announced that the U.S. would impose new sanctions on Russia and on the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, but new sanctions were blocked by the White House.

In 2017, Haley declared to the U.N. Security Council that sanctions against Russia for its Crimean conflict would not be lifted until Russia returned control over the region to Ukraine. Later that year, Haley said the U.S. would retain "strong and tough" sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Ukraine.

On March 30, 2017, Haley stated that the U.S. would no longer focus on forcing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to leave power. This was a policy shift from former president Barack Obama's initial stance on Assad. On April 5, speaking to the U.N. Security Council a day after the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Haley said Russia, Assad, and Iran "have no interest in peace" and attacks similar to this would continue occurring should nothing be done in response. A day later, the U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles toward the Shayrat Air Base in Syria. Haley called the strike a "very measured step" and warned that the U.S. was prepared "to do more" despite wishing it would not be required.

On April 12, after Russia blocked a draft resolution meant to condemn the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Haley criticized Russia, saying, "We need to see Russia choose to side with the civilized world over an Assad government that brutally terrorizes its own people." On June 28, while appearing before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Haley credited Trump's warning to Syria with stopping another chemical attack: "I can tell you due to the president's actions, we did not see an incident."

Resignation

On October 9, 2018, Haley resigned as the U.N. ambassador, effective December 31, 2018. Trump heaped praise on Haley, declaring she was "special to me" at the Oval Office meeting where her resignation was announced, emphasizing that she was not leaving on bad terms. He even raised the possibility she might rejoin the administration later "in a different capacity". Haley portrayed her departure as the act of a conscientious public servant, saying, "I think you have to be selfless enough to know when you step aside and allow someone else to do the job." The news shocked allied diplomats and other senior White House officials. Kelly Craft succeeded Haley in the post.

Haley's sudden resignation stunned the political world and multiple theories were floated as potential reasons. A theory many political commentators cited was that her "voice of moderation" was not in line with those of newly appointed Trump cabinet officials such as John Bolton and Mike Pompeo. Haley wielded more influence than Rex Tillerson, then secretary of state, during the first year of the Trump administration, acting almost as a "shadow secretary of state". On this theory, Haley left on her own terms after seeing her influence shrink after Pompeo was appointed secretary of state.

Haley's resignation was announced one day after the anti-corruption watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) accused Haley of accepting seven luxury private plane trips as gifts from South Carolina business leaders. CREW was the first to break this story after requesting an Inspector General investigation. Haley listed these seven flights as gifts on a 2018 financial disclosure, claiming they were not ethics violations because they were from personal contacts. A spokesperson for CREW said it has no reason to believe that this was related to her resignation as ambassador, and that this was similar to the activities of other Trump administration officials. Another theory cites her then college-age children, family finances, and intention to take a break, which Haley conveyed to Trump six months before she resigned.

Post-ambassadorship (2019–2022)

In 2019, Haley created a new 501(c)(4) advocacy group, Stand for America. Stand for America did not disclose its donors, but a document subsequently obtained by the press showed that it raised $71 million in 2019 from several billionaires and well-known Republican Party mega-donors, including Paul Singer, Stanley Druckenmiller, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, and Scott Bessent. Haley's team unsuccessfully demanded that Politico not report on the donor list it had obtained.

In February 2019, Haley was nominated to the board of directors of Boeing, elected at the annual shareholder meeting in April 2019. She had previously fought a unionization effort at Boeing South Carolina plant in North Charleston, where the 787 Dreamliner is produced. She supported a 2009 economic development package, valued at up to $900 million, to incentivize Boeing to relocate the 787 Dreamliner production facility to North Charleston, and, as governor, approved an additional $120 million to Boeing for its expansion. Boeing board members earn at least $315,000 a year as of 2017.

In March 2020, Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she disagreed with the company's decision to request federal bailout funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the 2024 grounding of the Boeing 737 Max-9, the Lever reported that Haley, while at Boeing, helped kill an initiative that would have forced the company to "more comprehensively disclose its spending to influence politicians and safety regulators."

In March 2019, Nikki Haley critiqued Senator Bernie Sanders for comparing healthcare costs in Finland and the U.S., saying: "Health care costs are too high. That is true. But comparing us to Finland is ridiculous. Ask them how their health care is. You won't like their answer".

In August 2019, Trump denied rumors that he had sought to replace Vice President Mike Pence with Haley as his running mate in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

In November 2019, Haley criticized Trump's first impeachment. Comparing it to "the death penalty" for a public official, she added, "You're gonna impeach a president for asking for a favor that didn't happen and – and giving money and it wasn't withheld?"

Relations with Donald Trump

During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Haley supported and campaigned for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. After Rubio dropped out of the election, she supported Ted Cruz.

In June 2016, on the one-year anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church shooting, Haley warned that Trump's rhetoric could lead to violent tragedy. She received extensive press coverage for saying "bless your heart" in response to an attack by Trump. Trump had attacked her on Twitter after she called for him to release his tax records. During the election, she said: I will not stop until we fight a man that chooses not to disavow the KKK. That is not a part of our party. That's not who we want as president. We will not allow that in our country.

In October 2016, while acknowledging she was "not a fan" of Trump, Haley said she would vote for him and endorsed him as "the best person based on the policies, and dealing with things like Obamacare."

After being elected president of the United States in 2016, Donald Trump nominated Haley to the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in January 2017. Following Senate confirmation, Haley was sworn in as U.N. ambassador on January 25, 2017.

After resigning as UN ambassador in December 2018, Haley remained supportive of the Trump administration and called Trump a "friend." She said she was "proud of the successes of the administration" and "I'm not going to apologize" for working with Trump. After Trump's election loss to Joe Biden, she said, "I understand the president. I understand that genuinely, to his core, he believes he was wronged. This is not him making it up."

Haley called Trump's actions around the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol "not his finest," but opposed Trump's second impeachment, criticizing Democrats and journalists on Fox News's The Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham. In that January 25 interview, she also said she would vote against impeachment: "They will bring about impeachment, yet they say they are for unity. They beat him up before he got into office. They are beating him up after he leaves office. At some point, give the man a break. I mean, move on."

2024 presidential campaign

In July 2022, Haley hinted at a potential run for the 2024 United States presidential election during her speech at the Christians United for Israel summit in Washington, D.C. Her strong stance against any potential Iran nuclear deal resonated, as she asserted her readiness to "shred" such an agreement on her first day in office.

On February 14, 2023, Haley formally announced her candidacy, becoming the second major candidate to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, following Trump's earlier announcement. Notably, she had previously stated she would not run if Trump also sought the nomination. Trump encouraged Haley to enter the race against him, telling her to "follow her heart" and that "she should do what she wants to."

Haley's candidacy marked a historic moment as she became the fifth woman and the first woman of color to contend for the Republican presidential nomination. Despite being considered a serious contender for the nomination, Haley faced an uphill battle against Trump and Ron DeSantis.

Haley garnered endorsements from New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu; U.S. Representative Ralph Norman; former U.S. Representative Will Hurd; and Cindy Warmbier, the mother of Otto Warmbier. In November 2023, Haley solidified her position in the race by receiving the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity Action, an organization connected to the Koch network.

In early January 2024, CNN reported that Haley had polled within single digits of Trump (at 32%, to Trump's 39%) in New Hampshire.

On January 15, 2024, Haley finished in third place in the Iowa caucuses with 19% of the vote, behind Trump with 51% and DeSantis with 21%. Notably, she prevailed over Trump by one vote in Johnson County, showcasing pockets of support within the state.

On January 19, U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Tim Scott – who was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Haley in 2012 – endorsed Trump for president. Days before she dropped out of the race, she received the endorsements of Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Positions and policies during presidential campaign

In February 2023, Haley supported a proposal by Senator Lindsey Graham to establish a national 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest, health, and life of the mother, arguing that this proposal had a chance at gaining a "national consensus." In May 2023, she pledged to sign a federal abortion ban, without specifying how many weeks such a ban should cover. In an August 2023 primary debate, Haley refused to directly say whether she supported a federal abortion ban. She supports promoting access to contraception. Following an Alabama Supreme Court decision ruling that embryos are children under state law and, therefore, that fertility clinics are liable for embryos as if they were children, Haley said she agreed with the court's reasoning and that "embryos, to me, are babies." After backlash against the ruling, Haley distanced herself from her previous comments, saying that she agrees that an embryo is an "unborn baby" but does not agree with the effect of the Alabama ruling on fertility clinics.

In February 2023, Haley said that the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which bars public schools from having classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity for students from kindergarten through third grade, did not go far enough. She suggested that such a prohibition be extended through seventh grade, and that any discussions about sex and sexuality require parental consent. (In April 2023, Florida extended the ban through 12th grade.)

Haley has said she supports "freedom" regarding same-sex marriage, but opposes the participation of trans women in women's sports.

Haley was the third candidate, after Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy, to sign a placard circulated by the Concerned Women for America that stated "only women can be pregnant and bear children". The placard also called for federal agencies to "uphold" the concept of binary sex "in every policy and program", but stopped short of calling pregnancy a precondition for womanhood.

Haley met with Caitlyn Jenner at the UN in 2017 while US ambassador to discuss "global LGBT issues". In 2021, when a comment on social media mocked the meeting, Haley responded, "Caitlin came to see me at the UN and I appreciated her conservative views". Haley also rebuked actor Dean Cain, who had laughed at the post, tweeting "I don't find it funny."

Post-presidential campaign career (2024-present)

On April 15, 2024, it was announced that Haley would join the Hudson Institute, a conservative think-tank. In a statement released on the same day, she described the group's work as "critical" and said she "looked forward to partnering with them to defend the principles that make America the greatest country in the world". She serves as the Walter P. Stern Chair.

Despite suspending her campaign, Haley still received votes in Republican primaries beyond February, sometimes up to 20%. On May 11, Trump confirmed that Haley was not under consideration to be his running mate in the 2024 election. Ten days later, she stated she would vote for Trump in the general election. The New Republic described her announcement as an endorsement.

In May 2024, Haley visited Israel during the Gaza war and wrote "Finish Them!" and signed her name on artillery shells. Haley faced controversy due to Israel being accused of genocide.

Haley spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, offering her ‘strong endorsement’ of Trump.

In August 2024 Haley visited Taiwan and advocated for its full membership in the United Nations and World Health Organization. She compared the American loss of authority in Afghanistan and the ongoing violence in the Middle East to the way that Taiwan is treated by the People's Republic of China, also drawing comparisons to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Haley joined the global communications firm Edelman as vice chair of its international public affairs team in September 2024.

In the 2024 election, she received 458 write-in votes in the state of Vermont.

On November 9, four days after Trump won the election, Trump announced that Haley would not be appointed to a position in his second administration.

Personal life

Haley married Michael Haley on September 7, 1996. They celebrated with both Sikh and Methodist ceremonies. The couple have two children, including Nalin.

Haley converted to Christianity in 1996, when she was baptized before her wedding at St. Andrew's by the Sea United Methodist Church. However, she still identifies with aspects of the Sikh faith due to the common doctrines between Sikhism and Christianity, and remains active in the Sikh and Indian community. Haley and her husband raised their children in the United Methodist Church, but frequently took their children to Sikh worship services along with Haley's parents. She and her husband are members of Mt. Horeb Church in Lexington, South Carolina, and are also members of Sikh Religious Society of South Carolina, along with Haley's parents that reside with Haley. She visited and prayed at the Harmandir Sahib with her husband in 2014 during her visit to India. During a Christianity Today interview, when asked whether or not she hopes her parents convert to Christianity, Haley responded, "What I hope is that my parents do what's right for them.", and expressed gratitude for her Sikh upbringing.

Her husband, an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, had a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2013.

Haley and her family reside on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, near the city of Charleston.

Haley had an estimated net worth of $1 million in 2019. Her net worth grew to an estimated $8 million by 2022, propelled in part by book sales and joining the corporate boards of Boeing and United Homes Group.

Books

Can't Is Not an Option: My American Story, Sentinel, New York (2012). ISBN 978-1595230850

With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace, St. Martin's Press, New York (2019). ISBN 978-1250266552

Foreword of A Better Blueprint for International Organizations: Advancing American Interests on the Global Stage, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, (2021).

If You Want Something Done: Leadership Lessons from Bold Women, St. Martin's Press, New York (2022). ISBN 978-1250284976

Awards and honors

Haley was inducted into the Order of the Palmetto in 2010. She has two honorary degrees: a Doctorate of Humanities from Clemson University (2018) and a Doctorate of Public Service from the University of South Carolina (2015). In 2013, Haley received an honorary 4th-dan black belt in Taekwondo.

She has also received awards from India Abroad, the International Republican Institute, Christians United for Israel, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Hudson Institute, the Independent Women's Forum, UN Watch, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Enterprise Institute, and the World Jewish Congress.