Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who ran against Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primaries but later endorsed him, isn’t holding back her thoughts on some of Trump’s big decisions for his new administration. She’s especially raising eyebrows at two of Trump’s picks: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump wants RFK Jr., known for his controversial views on vaccines, to head the Health and Human Services Department. Haley isn’t convinced he’s the right guy for the job. “Who is RFK Jr.?” she asked during her SiriusXM show Nikki Haley Live. “He’s not a health expert. He’s talked about what’s in our food—okay, great—but that’s not the same as running healthcare in America.” She also didn’t shy away from calling him a “liberal Democrat” multiple times, pointing out that his political past doesn’t exactly align with GOP values.
Kennedy has a long history of questioning vaccines, though he now says he’s not “anti-vaccine.” Still, many public health experts worry that putting him in charge of HHS could undo decades of progress in keeping people safe from preventable diseases. Haley seems to agree. “He’s just not trained or experienced in healthcare. It’s a bad call,” she said.
Then there’s Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence. Haley has serious issues with this choice, too. Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, has faced backlash for her past comments about Syria and her controversial 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who’s been accused of war crimes. “She met with Assad while he was killing his own people,” Haley said. “That’s disgusting. And the things she said about it sounded like straight-up Russian propaganda.”
Gabbard defended her meeting with Assad at the time, calling it a “fact-finding mission,” but later admitted he’s a “brutal dictator.” Still, she’s been vocal against U.S. involvement in Syria and, more recently, against America’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Haley thinks that kind of mindset doesn’t belong in a role that demands unbiased judgment. “This job needs someone neutral and trustworthy, not someone with baggage,” she said.
Adding more drama to the mix, Trump’s plans to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general hit a roadblock. Gaetz withdrew his name after facing allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, which are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
While Trump’s nominees still need to go through Senate approval, Haley’s harsh critique has already stirred up debate. With so much at stake, it’s clear these choices won’t sail through without a fight. Stay tuned—things are just heating up in Washington.