Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Nikki Haley enters presidential race against Donald Trump

Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, who has spoken out against LGBTQ+ people, has entered the running to become the next president of the United States.

Haley announced her candidacy to be the Republican nominee in 2024 on Twitter. She is seeking to the first female president and the first of Indian descent. In November, her former boss and fellow Republican, Donald Trump, confirmed that he was running.

“My mom would always say your job isn’t to focus on the differences, but the similarities,” Haley said in a new promotional video.

“Even on our worst day, we are blessed to live in America.”

The ex-governor is also proud to support anti-abortion groups who work to strip away bodily autonomy, recently responding to Pro-life America saying: “Thank you for the work you do! Every life is a gift from God. #EveryLifeCounts.”

Haley held the role of UN ambassador under Trump’s one term in the White House.

She previously attacked president Joe Biden after he issued a landmark order to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Nikki Haley described improving trans rights as a ‘trend’

On trans rights, writing for the National Review, Nikki Haley said: “In one of his first acts as president, he signed an executive order paving the way for a federal mandate that all schools receiving federal funding let biological men play on women’s sports teams.

“The order was framed as a matter of transgender rights. But really, it was an attack on women’s rights.”

She continued: “If this trend isn’t stopped, the achievements of so many brave women over so many years will be erased. That’s wrong. It’s insulting. And women know it… [but] they’re just afraid to speak out because they know they’ll be silenced and called bigots.

“But we’re not bigots. We’re women. And we need to be heard, not silenced. We also need the backing of those who should know better. Most feminists are missing in action right now. They should be on the front lines of this fight. Men should get off the sidelines, too.”

Haley’s decision to run in the Republican presidential primary could actually benefit Trump as she is seen as likely to take votes away from other potential candidates such as Ron DeSantis.