The first-ever Indian-American to be nominated to a cabinet-level post in the US adds more than a touch of diversity to President-elect Donald Trump’s line-up.
It wasn’t so long ago that South Carolina governor Nikki Haley described Donald Trump as “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president”. Trump fired back, on Twitter: “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!” It came as a surprise, then, when Trump, now President-elect of the United States, picked Haley (the daughter of Indian immigrants) to serve in his Cabinet as ambassador to the United Nations. And that Haley accepted.
Haley’s nomination erodes “stereotype portrayals” of Trump, says Ronen Sen, a veteran diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the US. Sen says it undermines critics’ arguments that Trump will usher in a phase of US isolationism and downgrade the post of the US ambassador to the United Nations; that he will deepen socio-political divisions; that he is against non-white immigrants; and that he has a deep-seated bias against women.
The US Senate must confirm the nomination before Haley can pack her bags for New York City. Haley already has the distinction of being the first Indian-American female governor of a US state. Sumit Ganguly, the Tagore professor of Indian cultures and civilisations at Indiana University, says Trump can now fend off some of his critics through his appointment of a “prominent, thoughtful, telegenic Indian-American Republican woman”. He adds: “The fact that she is an up-and-coming player in the (Republican) party does not hurt either.”
This story is from the December 12, 2016 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 12, 2016 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Killer Stress
Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
