LYNCHBURG, Va. – Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s visit comes with excitement for some Liberty University students.
“It was really interesting to get to really see her in person. I was very excited for this. I know everyone in my hall was as well,” freshman Victoria Hendrix said.
The former governor of South Carolina came to Lynchburg to talk about her new book where she gives her perspective of serving in a national and international role.
“I said, ‘Reince (Priebus), I don’t even know what the United Nations does I just know that everybody hates it,’” Haley said while recalling a phone call she received that president Donald Trump was considering her as a candidate for UN ambassador.
Haley also talked about what happened behind the scenes when she worked for President Trump’s administration in 2017 and 2018.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. briefly brought up the impeachment inquiry hearing.
“The president tried for a year to fire the ambassador to Ukraine who testified (Friday) morning. His own state department wouldn’t do it,” Falwell said.
Haley responded by recalling a disagreement, she said, she had with former Chief of Staff John Kelly and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
“It’s not that they thought the president was unfit or rogue. They disagreed with him on policy,” Haley said.
Haley explained her subtitle “Defending America with Grit and Grace” wasn’t an easy task representing the United States on tough policies. She also encouraged young ladies in the crowd to join politics and to stay true to themselves.
“It was really encouraging to see such a strong woman just be at the forefront of just negotiating across the different nations,” Hendrix said.