All concerns about foreign policy should have an answer, according to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
In response to a question from an Iowan on Saturday on price controls in the healthcare sector, Haley stated, “Right now, our federal government gets our amoxicillin from China.”
Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, attended a roundtable discussion with regional agricultural executives on Friday in Grand Mound where China was a major topic.
In her opening remarks, Haley stated that it was her responsibility to ensure that America maintained its agricultural dominance so that China would always be reliant on it for its food.
A farmer from Iowa named Dennis Campbell expressed concern about large government and mistrust toward capitalism, and when Haley heard this, she was reminded of her time working at the U.N.
“I was at the Simón Bolvar Bridge, which connects Colombia and Venezuela. And I saw thousands of Venezuelans carrying their children for hours in the blazing sun in order to fetch the one meal they might have that day, said Haley.
“You examine the assets Venezuela possessed and the potential for success. They were begging for their next meal literally as a result of this socialism creep feeding into the system, she added.
Voters are aware of Haley’s campaign, which focuses heavily on foreign policy.
Voter Jim Barton, a native of South Carolina who now calls Iowa home, said to Haley, “All the ads I see regarding you are your foreign policy stuff.” He went on to say, “But you were the best governor we had ever had in South Carolina,” and urged Haley to concentrate more on that.
Haley is emphasizing her background in foreign policy as part of a larger campaign strategy. On the campaign trail, she frequently discusses her preference for a direct approach to China. Haley wants to be, as the campaign has previously stated, “China’s worst nightmare.”
Given that people are more concerned with domestic concerns, focusing there may prove to be a risk. The three concerns that mattered most to Americans in the 2022 midterm elections, which are only distantly related to foreign policy, were inflation, abortion, and crime, according to NBC News exit polls.
However, concentrating on foreign policy also provides presidential candidates with a platform from which to project strength and perhaps even appear to rise beyond intra-party political squabbles. It is obvious that Haley wants people to think of her in terms of her foreign policy experience and beliefs since that is how voters will ultimately evaluate her.