Nikki Haley pays tribute to Margaret Thatcher in video for White House run
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Nikki Haley has paid tribute to Margaret Thatcher by using one of the late prime minister’s favourite poems in a video to set out her campaign for the 2024 US presidency.
The former US ambassador to the United Nations is set to announce her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on Feb 15.
She has long been inspired by Baroness Thatcher and chose the poem No Enemies by Charles Mackay to be read in full in the video.
Baroness Thatcher was known to keep a copy of the poem on her desk.
It also featured in Netflix’s The Crown when Baroness Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson, recites the poem to the Queen, played by Olivia Colman.
Mackay was a Scottish poet and newspaper journalist who died in 1889.
There will alway be critics and cowards. That’s never stopped me before.
Now is not the time to hold back. Now is the time for a strong and proud America.
Change is coming. Get excited! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/00YKFDp2Be— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 8, 2023
The poem starts out: “You have no enemies, you say? Alas! My friend, the boast is poor.”
It concludes that if you have no enemies, “you’ve been a coward in the fight”.
The poem is used to show how Mrs Haley has fought for her political beliefs, and will continue to do so.
Its first lines are narrated over images of a cornfield in Iowa and a town in New Hampshire.
The two states will be the first to vote in the 2024 Republican nomination process.
As the poem is read, images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping appear on the screen.
American pride shines throughout
The Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore also feature in the video.
That is followed by some of Mrs Haley’s most memorable comments from her time in office.
She is shown telling how America is “the greatest force for good in human history, and we should never be ashamed to say that”.
In another clip, she said: “For those who don’t have our back, we’re taking names,” and explained that she wears heels, not as a fashion statement, but “because if I see something wrong, we’re going to kick ‘em every single time!”
Mrs Haley’s video ended by showing the date, Feb 15. Last week, she wrote on Twitter:
My family and I have a big announcement to share with you on February 15th!
And yes, it’s definitely going to be a Great Day in South Carolina! 👊 🇺🇸
Be sure to RSVP here: https://t.co/fxxxpBbW2b pic.twitter.com/2QJIo0H7Jo— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 1, 2023
When she enters the race, the 51-year-old will become the chief early rival to Donald Trump, the only candidate to have declared so far.
Analysts have suggested that her announcement could trigger other candidates to also declare.
Potentially, that includes Mike Pence, the former vice president, and Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.
