Gov. Nikki Haley challenged President Obama and some her own party's leading voices during a State of the Union rebuttal that will likely elevate her to the top of the list of potential vice presidential contenders.
The South Carolina Republican, speaking from the governor's mansion in Columbia Tuesday evening, said that Obama has saddled Americans with a healthcare system that doesn't work and failed in his stewardship of the economy. Obama's foreign policy, Haley said, has left Americans as vulnerable to domestic terrorism as they've been since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, adding that he "appears either unwilling or unable to deal with it."
"Tonight, President Obama spoke eloquently about grand things. He is at his best when he does that," the governor said. "Unfortunately, the president's record has often fallen short of his soaring words.
Haley also had some choice words for her fellow Republicans.
The governor took a subtle but clear jab at Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination whom has called for Muslims to be banned from entering the U.S. following the Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Calif. "No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country," Haley countered, without mentioning Trump's name.