Haley: Trump’s election not ‘affirmation’ of GOP conduct

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) warned Friday that Donald Trump’s election can’t be seen as an “affirmation” of the Republican Party because his presidential campaign didn’t celebrate GOP values.

“If we as Republicans are going to lead effectively and have staying power as a governing party, we must accept that Donald Trump’s election was not an affirmation of the way Republicans have conducted themselves,” she said during a Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C.

“The president-elect deserves tremendous credit for the way he was able to connect with the electorate, but he did not do it by celebrating the Republican Party. And the American people did not vote for him because he had an ‘R’ next to his name,” she said.

{mosads}Haley’s name has been floated during the Trump transition process as a potential Cabinet appointee, and she met with the president-elect at Trump Tower on Thursday.

But there’s no indication she’s made it onto any short lists, and transition officials have said that meetings aren’t solely based on vetting appointees.

During Haley’s speech Friday, she criticized the Republican Party for “broken promises at every level of government,” arguing that the GOP has shifted away from being the party of limited government, opportunity and inclusivity.

“Republicans lost our way. We were told if we elected a Republican House and a Republican Senate everything would change. Millions of people worked hard to give Republicans that chance, yet we never saw action,” she said.

“Instead, Republicans ignored the growing anger and frustration building among the American people. They were watching their paychecks shrink, their student loans grows, their daily lives become more difficult. And all they saw was Washington, D.C., with Republicans continuing to blame Democrats.”