Nalin Haley, son of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, has sharply criticized the Republican Party following its disappointing midterm performance. He questioned what the party had accomplished despite controlling the White House and Congress. His remarks came in response to a post criticizing his mother’s decision not to run in the 2028 presidential election.
In an earlier post on X, Nalin wrote: “We primarily lost not cuz of what we did, but what we didn’t do. We had control of the house, senate, and presidency. What did we do with it? Nothing!” He questioned why Republicans had failed to capitalize on their control of the federal government.
READ: Nalin Haley attacks Vivek Ramaswamy on immigration (October 12, 2026)
Nalin also defended Nikki Haley’s decision not to contest the 2028 presidential election, arguing that her critics’ own political records offered little ground to question her choices.
Reacting to Nikki Haley’s decision, Justin Evans wrote: “There are like 14 people at a private club in Southampton, NY, absolutely devastated by this news.”
Nalin responded by pointing to the critic’s candidate losing a gubernatorial race by 30 percentage points despite having substantial financial backing and political experience. He said continued attacks on his mother only reinforced that she had made the right decision 17 years ago.
“Justin one day when you grow old, you’ll realize holding a grudge because Nikki Haley fired you 17 years ago is not healthy. It’s pathetic actually. Maybe if you focused less on her, you wouldn’t be responsible for the worst ran gubernatorial race of all time. Your candidate was second in command for 10 years, had a lot of money, and had the most powerful endorsement this country has ever seen, and you still managed to lose by 30. 17 years later, you continue to prove that she made the right decision,” Nalin replied.
In a separate interview with Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power,” Nikki Haley offered a critical assessment of the current administration’s economic and foreign policies. She reiterated that although she did not plan to run for president in 2028, she would remain politically active.
“I am not running in 2028, but I will continue to talk about the things that I care about. I will continue to push good policy. I will continue to support good candidates, and we want a strong America. And whatever we have to do, I think every one of us has an obligation to try,” Haley said.
Haley also said the Republican Party needed to demonstrate its willingness to fight for its political priorities before deciding who should lead it. She identified inflation, the rising cost of living and interest rates as major concerns that Republicans had failed to address.
READ: Nikki Haley calls Vivek Ramaswamy a ‘bad guy’ as Republicans rift deepens (October 23, 2026)
Haley’s decision to rule herself out of the 2028 race comes as speculation grows over potential Republican contenders for the next presidential election. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are among the names being discussed.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 45% of Republican voters considered Rubio an excellent potential presidential candidate, narrowly ahead of Vance at 43%. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received 32%. Donald Trump Jr. is also frequently mentioned as a potential political successor to his father.
Nikki Haley challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 before suspending her campaign. She has now ruled herself out of the next presidential race.