TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haleyspoke positively for Republican candidate Donald Trump during her visit to Taiwan on Saturday, saying that isolationist policies are not “healthy” and calling on her party to support her country’s allies.
Haley, who ran against Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital Taipei that supporting U.S. allies including Ukraine and Israel was vital, while stressing the importance of Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory to be controlled by force if necessary. “I don’t think the isolationist approach is healthy. I don’t think America can ever sit in a bubble and think that we’re not affected by it,” she said.
Although the US does not formally recognise Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest supporter and main arms supplier. Trump’s bid to regain the presidency has raised concerns, however. He said Taiwan should pay for American protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July, he dodged a question about whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.
When Haley dropped her own bid for the GOP nomination, she didn’t subscribe immediately Trump, who accused him to cause chaos and ignore the importance of American alliances abroad. But in May she said she would vote for him, while making it clear that she felt her former boss still had work to do to win over the voters who supported her.
On Saturday, she said that having previously served under the Trump administration, they have “demonstrated American strength in the world,” citing their stand against China and their sanctions against Russia and North Korea, among other efforts.
“I think all that strength that we have shown is the reason we have not seen any wars, no invasions, no damage that has occurred during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back,” she said.
Haley also criticized Trump’s rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would do “exactly” what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas Israel war broke out last year.
“She was in the situation room, right next to Joe Biden. She was there 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 much right now, they do agree on “the threats posed by China,” adding that Taiwan now “wants to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back.”
She said her party should support the country’s allies and ensure that the country shows strength around the world. She also said that any authoritarian regime and any “communist” that harms or hurts other free countries should be a personal matter for the US.
“We don’t want communist China to win. We don’t want Russia to win. We don’t want Iran or North Korea to win,” she said.
Haley began her trip to Taiwan this week and met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. She called for more international support for the island to have self-government, a coordinated response to Chinese claims on it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.