Nikki Haley denounces GOP attacks on Kamala Harris over race, gender as 'not helpful'

During a wide-ranging interview Thursday about the state of the 2024 election, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley admonished Republican attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris over her race, age, and gender as "not helpful."

"There are so many issues we can talk about when it comes to Kamala Harris, that it doesn't matter what she looks like," Haley told CNN host Jake Tapper. "It matters what she said, what she's fought for, and the lack of results that she's had because of it."

Haley’s comments came after Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week blasted Harris, who recently secured enough delegate endorsements to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, for her identity as a Black woman and person of South Asian descent.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., called Haley a "DEI hire," and "DEI vice president," while Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., said Democrats chose Harris to replace President Joe Biden on the presidential ticket "because of her ethnic background."

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Haley on former attacks by Trump: 'That's what happens in campaigns'

Haley faced similar racially charged attacks while running for the GOP presidential nomination this year, including from former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly misspelled her birthname, Nimarata, as "Nimrada."

It was far from the only personal jab Trump leveled at Haley – or that she threw his way -- during the campaign. Trump at one point mocked Haley’s husband, who was deployed overseas, and she questioned the ex-president's mental fitness.

Despite that heated rhetoric, the former Ambassador to the United Nations endorsed her former boss earlier this month.

When asked Thursday about whether the campaign insults and criticisms were water under the bridge, Haley said: "That's what happens in campaigns. I don't think we need to apologize or take anything back. I don't plan on doing that."

As for whether she believes Trump would follow the Constitution if elected again, Haley said she hopes he does.

"I hope that any President would follow the Constitution and the American people need to demand that," she added.

During the heat of the GOP primary, she responded to the same question with "I don’t know."

The former South Carolina governor also noted that she’s keeping options for her political future open. But don't expect Haley to take a role in a potential Trump administration — she said she's “not looking for a job" from the ex-president.

In terms of another presidential run?  “You never say never," Haley remarked.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley on Kamala Harris: GOP attacks over race are 'not helpful'