Nikki Haley Speaks Out Against Two Trump Cabinet Picks

Nikki Haley raised concerns with two of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees during her SiriusXM radio show on Wednesday.
Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, has unveiled a host of his cabinet picks. Some of his picks have been viewed as less conventional, drawing pushback from Democrats—and some Republicans.
Haley, who challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, spoke out against Trump picking former Representative Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
While Haley said she agrees with some of Kennedy’s beliefs, including that there needs to be more transparency about what is in food products, she questioned whether he has the experience to lead the department.
“He is not educated, trained or practiced in health at all. He has spent his entire career as a trial lawyer, an environmental lawyer and a liberal Democrat,” she said.
She listed several beliefs of Kennedy that contradict those of Trump including his more liberal positioning on climate change, taxes and support for “de-escalating tensions with China.”
“I understand he wants to raise awareness on chemicals in food and vaccinations, but then let him be a health advisor. Why are we putting someone that is so ideologically opposed to Donald Trump’s views, and Republican views—why do we want to do that?” she said.
Meanwhile, Haley said she has “major issues” with Gabbard’s nomination. She called attention to Gabbard, a former Democrat who represented Hawaii in Congress, disagreeing with Trump’s Middle East policies during his first tenure.
“She said that Donald Trump turned the U.S. into Saudi Arabia’s prostitute. This is going to be the future head of our national intelligence,” Haley said.
Gabbard frequently criticized Trump’s foreign policy, including on ending the Iran nuclear deal. Since leaving office, Gabbard has joined the Republican Party and endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“She went to Syria in 2017 for a photo-op with Bashar al-Assad while he was massacring his own people. She said she was skeptical that he was behind the chemical weapons attacks,” Haley said. “Now this to me is disgusting.”
Haley worked in Trump’s first administration as ambassador to the United Nations. She presented herself as a more traditional conservative on the campaign trail who would be better suited to win back moderate voters. Prior to her tenure at the U.N., Haley was governor of South Carolina.
Haley said that while she was at the U.N., she gave a speech “holding up pictures of dead children who had been killed by chemical attacks.”
“For her to say that Assad was not behind that—literally, everything she said about that were Russian talking points. Every bit of that. That was Russian propaganda,” she said.
The Senate, which will next year vote on whether or not to confirm all of Trump’s cabinet picks, needs to be asking Gabbard and Kennedy “tough questions,” Haley said.
It’s unclear, at this point, whether all Republicans will vote to confirm these picks, but the GOP currently will hold a majority of Senate seats come January. Republican Senators in competitive 2026 races may in particularly vote against some of Trump’s picks to show their independence, experts have told Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email.
Update 11/20/2024 6:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.