Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley offered a blunt message to her fellow Republicans on Wednesday after the party lost control of both chambers of Congress: stop pointing fingers and get back to work.
Haley, who has recently reemerged as a television commentator, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show the morning after Democrats swept to victory in the midterm elections.
“To my fellow Republicans, this is not the time to whine, complain, or point fingers. You can’t blame media, you can’t blame academia, you can’t blame Hollywood,” Haley said.
The former South Carolina governor argued that those forces have long opposed Republicans, yet the party has still managed to win.
“All of those have been against us for years before, and we’ve won. The bottom line is, Republicans didn’t listen to the American people; they listened to Washington, D.C.,” she said.
Haley pointed to the economic pressures that she said voters had been raising for months.
“And while the American people were saying groceries are high, gas is high, healthcare is high, you’re not listening,” she said.
The remarks were seen as an indirect shot at President Donald Trump, who defeated Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Haley also criticized the culture she said had taken hold in the nation’s capital.
“What you saw in D.C. was self-dealing and corruption and celebrating. And what I will say is, get a good night’s sleep, take our medicine, and let’s get to work,” Haley said.
She stressed that the party’s fortunes could still turn around before the next election cycle.
“This can shift in two years, but you have got to start focusing on what the American people want and not these issues in D.C. that nobody cares about,” she said.
Haley also had a warning for the victors.
“Now, for our Democrats: you can celebrate, but be careful what you wish for,” she said.
Haley’s comments come as Republicans offer competing explanations for Tuesday’s losses. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war with Iran in a lengthy post on X Wednesday, writing, “The reason we lost is the war.”
Trump, asked about Vance’s assessment, said it was “largely true” because the conflict pushed gas prices higher in the short term, though he said he would make the same decision again.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., went further, telling TMZ that the midterms were a referendum on Trump and that party leaders should have listened to her warnings about issues like healthcare costs.
Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations during his first term, challenged him for the 2024 nomination before suspending her campaign after Super Tuesday. She has remained a prominent voice in the party since.
Her latest message frames the defeat as a wake-up call rather than a reason for despair, urging Republicans to refocus on kitchen-table issues before the 2028 election.
With Democrats set to take control of Congress in January, Haley’s call for the party to regroup may resonate with Republicans looking for a path forward after one of the most painful election nights in recent memory.
