Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley to run for US presidency in 2024

Indian-American Nikki Haley will be running for the post of US president in 2024, the Republican leader announced in a video message on Tuesday. She will challenge fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021 but lost power to Joe Biden of the Democratic Party in his second attempt.

"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," the former governor of South Carolina and the daughter of Indian immigrants said. "It's time for a new generation of leadership -- to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride, and our purpose."

Announcing the move, she referred to China and Russia and said that both countries - adversaries of America - think the US can be bullied and kicked around. Haley said she doesn't put up with bullies.

"Some people look at America and see vulnerability. The socialist left sees an opportunity to rewrite history. China and Russia are on the march. They all think we can be bullied, kicked around,” Haley said. "You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”

Haley was born to an Indian-American family in Bamberg, South Carolina in 1970. She earned an accounting degree from Clemson University and joined the family business before turning to politics. 

In 2004, Haley ran for the South Carolina State House against a 30-year incumbent Republican lawmaker in the primary and won. In the state legislature, she took on the old-guard culture of Columbia and pushed for tax cuts and transparency when legislators in both parties voted to increase their taxpayer-funded benefits. 

In 2010, she was elected as the governor of South Carolina. She became the youngest governor in the country and the first minority female governor in America. She was re-elected again in 2014. Two years later, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In 2016, President Donald Trump nominated Governor Haley to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In that role, she also served as a member of the President’s Cabinet and on the National Security Council. 

Watch: Who Is Nikki Haley, Indian American Republican Leader Running For US Presidency Against Trump in 2024?