Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley formally launched her 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, casting herself as a younger, fresher alternative to her one-time boss and former US President Donald Trump.
Haley, 51, is the two-term Governor of South Carolina and the former US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Addressing her enthusiastic supporters at an event here in South Carolina, she declared: "For a strong America... For a proud America... I am running for President of the United States of America!".
"When America is distracted, the world is less safe... And today, our enemies think the American era has passed. They’re wrong. America is not past our prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs!
"We won’t win the fight for the 21st Century if we keep trusting politicians from the 20th Century. And so, I have an announcement to make. I stand before you as the daughter of immigrants – as a proud wife of a combat veteran – and as the mom of two amazing children," she said.
Her formal declaration means she will be the first contender to join the contest against her former 76-year-old boss Trump, who announced his third bid for the White House late last year.
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.
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