Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said the GOP attacks on Vice President Harris over her race and gender are “not helpful.”
Haley joined CNN’s Jake Tapper for an interview Thursday to discuss recent political events, including President Biden suspending his reelection campaign and endorsing Harris.
In the days since, several Republican lawmakers have claimed Harris was a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hire and made remarks about her becoming the Democratic Party’s likely nominee because of her gender and race.
“It’s not helpful,” Haley said. “It’s not helpful. Look, I mean, we’re talking about a liberal senator who literally has not accomplished very much and what she was given, she didn’t do much with.”
“You don’t need to talk about what she looks like or what gender she is,” the former United Nations ambassador continued. “The American people are smarter than that.”
Harris made a splash entering the election at an unusual time after Biden said Sunday he would no longer be seeking reelection. The vice president, of Jamaican and Indian descent, would be the first woman and first woman of color to serve as the country’s president.
Earlier this week, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called Harris a “DEI hire.” He later doubled down on his claim even though he admitted he regretted calling her that. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) said Harris was the “bottom of the barrel,” calling her a DEI hire as well. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said Democrats feel like they have to stick with Harris after Biden dropped out “because of her ethnic background.”
Some Republicans are warning their GOP colleagues to back off the DEI talk.
Haley, who acknowledged she had to defend her race and gender on the campaign trail, argued that it’s pointless to criticize Harris on her race and gender when there are policy issues that could be referenced. Haley, who suspended her GOP presidential primary bid in March, pointed to Harris’s stance on fracking, taxes and the Israel-Hamas war.
“There are so many issues we can talk about when it comes to Kamala Harris that it doesn’t matter what she looks like,” Haley said. “It matters what she said, what she’s fought for and the lack of results that she’s had because of it.”