Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley harshly slammed Vivek Ramaswamy’s foreign policy record, calling him out for his stance on the war in Ukraine, protecting Taiwan from China, and the US-Israel relationship.
Haley, who previously served as the US Ambassador to the UN during the Trump administration, portrayed Ramaswamy as inexperienced on foreign policy matters and criticized him for supporting policies that will “make America less safe.”
“The problem that Vivek doesn’t understand is, he wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends,” Haley said.
Haley added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “murderer” and that Ramaswamy is “choosing a murderer over a proud American country.”
Ramaswamy hit back at Haley by suggesting she’s supporting America’s role in global conflicts to benefit corporations who supply weapons for the US military.
“Nikki, I wish you well on your future career on the boards of Lockheed and Raytheon,” he said. “You have been pushing this lie all week, Nikki.”
Haley’s campaign earlier this week criticized Ramaswamy for comments he made in a podcast interview with Russell Brand, in which he said under his administration “additional aid won’t be necessary” for Israel by the year 2028.
Haley cut off Ramaswamy on the debate stage Wednesday night, reiterating her belief that his positions will harm America’s interests.
“He will make America less safe. Under your watch, you will make America less safe,” Haley said. “You have no foreign policy experience and it shows.”
Ramaswamy defended his position on Israel while acknowledging the US-Israel relationship would change under his watch but advocating specifically for an advancement of normalization agreements with Arab nations in the Middle East and committing to working with Israel to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Our relationship with Israel will never be stronger than by the end of my first term. But it’s not a client relationship, it is a friendship. And you know what friends do? Friends help each other stand on their own two feet.”
Sumber: www.cnn.com
