Nikki Haley says isolationist policy is not healthy while showing support for Trump in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, put in good words for Republican nominee Donald Trump on Saturday during her visit to Taiwan, saying that an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” and called on her party to stand with her country’s allies.

Haley, who ran against Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that supporting U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, was vital while underscoring the importance of Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory to be brought under control by force if necessary. “I don’t think the isolationist approach is healthy. I think America can never sit in a bubble and think that we won’t be affected,” she said.

While the U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump’s attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries. He said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July and dodged answering the question of whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.

When Haley shuttered her own bid for the GOP nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, having accused him of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. But in May she said she would be voting for him while making it clear that she felt her former boss had work to do to win over voters who supported her.

On Saturday, she said that having previously served with Trump’s administration, “we did show American strength in the world”, pointing to their pushback against China and their sanctioning of Russia and North Korea among other efforts.

“I think that all of that strength that we showed is the reason that we didn’t see any wars, we didn’t see any invasions, we didn’t see any harm that happened during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back,” she said.

Haley also criticized Trump’s rival U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would “do exactly” what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israel war broke out last year.

“She was in the situation room right next to Joe Biden. She was there making the exact same decisions. Those decisions have made the world less safe,” she said.

Haley added that while the Republicans and Democrats may not currently concur on much, they agree on “the threats of China,” adding that Taiwan is now looking “to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, that they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back.”

She said her party should stand with the country’s allies and make sure that the country shows strength around the world. She also said any authoritarian regime and “communists” harming or hurting other free countries should be a personal matter to the U.S.

“We don’t want to see communist China win. We don’t want to see Russia win. We don’t want to see Iran or North Korea win,” she said.

Haley began her trip to Taiwan, this week, and met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. She called for more international backing for the self-ruled island, a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.