Won't pay millions to bad guys like Pak if voted to power: Nikki Haley

Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday reiterated that if voted to power, the US will not pay the "bad guys" like Pakistan hundreds of millions of dollars.

"A weak America pays the bad guys: Hundreds of millions to Pakistan, Iraq, and Zimbabwe last year alone. A strong America won't be the world's ATM," the former Ambassador to the United Nations tweeted.

In another tweet, Haley said: "America can't be the world's ATM. As president, we'll make sure to shake up the foreign policy establishment. More on our plans to stop sending money to our enemies ..."

"I will cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate us. A strong America doesn't pay off the bad guys. A proud America doesn't waste our people's hard-earned money. And the only leaders who deserve our trust are those who stand up to our enemies and stand beside our friends," the 51-year-old two-term Governor of South Carolina, who earlier this month formally launched her 2024 presidential bid, wrote in an op-ed in the New York Post.

In the op-ed, Haley wrote that America spent $46 billion on foreign aid last year, which is given to countries like China, Pakistan, and Iraq. American taxpayers deserve to know where that money is going and what it's doing, she added.

According to Haley, the Biden administration resumed military aid to Pakistan, though it's home to at least a dozen terrorist organisations and its government is deeply in hock to China.

She said that as the US ambassador to the UN, she strongly supported then president Donald Trump's decision to cut nearly USD 2 billion of military aid to Pakistan because that country supported terrorists who kill American troops.

"It was a major victory for our troops, our taxpayers, and our vital interests, but it didn't go nearly far enough. We've still given them way too much in other aid. As president, I will block every penny,” she added.

Less than a fortnight after entering the race for the White House, Haley is leading against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical match, according to the latest opinion poll on Friday.

But she trails badly against leading GOP candidate former president Trump, Rasmussen Report said based on a survey it conducted between February 16 and 19.

Among the Republicans, she comes in the third position after Trump (52 per cent) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (24 per cent).

Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa to immigrant Punjabi Sikh parents, Haley is the third Indian-American to run for the US presidency in three consecutive election cycles. Bobby Jindal ran in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020.

Days after Haley announced her White House bid, Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican, also launched his 2024 presidential bid.

Before entering the presidential ballot, Haley has to win the Republican Party's presidential primary which will start in January next year. The next US presidential election is scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024.