As Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis battle for
The runner-up in the Republican Party’s race for the presidency.
Both former President Donald Trump’s allies stated on Tuesday that the United States is not a nation with racism.
During a Tuesday interview on Fox & Friends, Haley was questioned about whether or not the Republican party is racist. In response, she stated that the country as a whole is not racist and that the party’s objective is to continuously strive for progress and improvement. While acknowledging that perfection may not be attainable, the goal is to always work towards it every day.
The previous U.S. diplomat to the United Nations also mentioned encountering racism during her childhood, but stated that things have improved significantly since then.
During the CNN town hall, she expressed the same belief that the United States is not a racist country.
When questioned about the possibility of the U.S. being a racist nation, DeSantis acknowledged that the country has faced difficulties regarding its perspective on race. He referenced the 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court case, where it was decided that African Americans were not considered American citizens.
The decision, made by the highest court in the country prior to the Civil War, upheld slavery and was written by Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney. In his writing, Taney stated that African Americans were not entitled to any rights that white men were obligated to honor.
“That was wrong. That was discriminating on the basis of race. That’s why you ended up having the 14th Amendment ratified to overturn Dred Scott. So yes, we’ve had challenges with how we’ve dealt with race as a society. But we are the — no matter where what your background is. If you have one place you want to grow up and have the most opportunity, it doesn’t matter your background, this is the best place to grow up,” DeSantis said.
Haley and DeSantis have previously addressed racial concerns during their campaign journeys on multiple occasions.
Haley faced backlash in the previous month for.
She neglected to mention the existence of slavery.
DeSantis has previously defended the Florida school curriculum’s portrayal of enslaved people as having developed skills that could benefit them personally, despite criticisms that this contributed to the cause of the civil war.
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Shawna Mizelle
Shawna Mizelle works as a campaign reporter for CBS News, starting in 2024.