SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS. CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE AND NOW FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS NIKKI HALEY. GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES SERIES. I’M ADAM SEXTON. OUR GUEST THIS EVENING IS REPUBLICAN NIKKI HALEY. TONIGHT, WE’LL BE GETTING TO KNOW HER AND WHERE SHE STANDS ON SOME KEY ISSUES. AT THE START OF OUR SHOW, I’LL BE ASKING THE CANDIDATES SOME QUESTIONS. AND THEN AFTER A BREAK, WE’LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT. BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THAT, LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES BIOGRAPHY. NIKKI HALEY WAS FIRST ELECTED TO OFFICE IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATEHOUSE IN 2004, EDGING OUT A 30 YEAR GOP INCUMBENT. FROM THERE, SHE WOULD BECOME THE STATE’S FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR AND THE NATION’S YOUNGEST STATE EXECUTIVE. IN 2015, HALEY LED SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH ONE OF ITS DARKEST MOMENTS THE DEADLY SHOOTING AT CHARLESTON’S EMANUEL AME CHURCH. SHE SIGNED A BILL ORDERING THE REMOVAL OF THE CONFEDERATE FLAG FROM THE STATEHOUSE GROUNDS. HALEY STEPPED DOWN IN HER SECOND TERM TO SERVE AS U.S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SHE SAYS HER PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT MOVING PAST STALE IDEAS AND FADED NAMES TO LEAD A NEW GENERATION INTO THE FUTURE. AN ACCOUNTANT BY TRAINING HALEY GRADUATED FROM CLEMSON UNIVERSITY. BORN IN BAMBERG, SOUTH CAROLINA, SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF INDIAN IMMIGRANTS HALEY AND HER HUSBAND MICHAEL, A CAPTAIN IN THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, HAVE TWO CHILDREN. AMBASSADOR HALEY, THANKS FOR JOINING US ON CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE. IT’S GREAT TO BE WITH YOU. SO YOU’VE CALLED FOR COGNITIVE TESTS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE PRESIDENT AND FEDERALLY ELECTED OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON WHO ARE OVER 75. WHAT DO YOU ENVISION AS A CONSEQUENCE IF ONE OF THESE PEOPLE FAILS THE TEST? I THINK IT’S BRINGING A CONSCIENCE TO THE FACT THAT THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING OUR BIGGEST DECISIONS ON NATIONAL SECURITY, ON THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN’S ECONOMIC POLICY, ON OUR WAY FORWARD IN AMERICA. AND SO WE WANT TO KNOW THAT THEY’RE AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME. DON’T CARE IF YOU DO IT FOR PEOPLE 50 AND OLDER, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE’RE DOING THIS. AND THESE TESTS ARE SIMPLE. IT’S MENTIONING, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY CERTAIN WORDS WITH A CERTAIN LETTER OR WHAT MONTH IS IT, OR WHERE WERE YOU BORN? BUT YOU SEE THINGS LIKE PRESIDENT BIDEN WHEN RECENTLY A CHILD ASKED HIM WHAT COUNTRY HE HAD BEEN IN THE WEEK BEFORE AND HE HAD BEEN THERE ALL WEEK AND HE COULDN’T NAME IT. THAT’S WHEN YOU START TO WORRY AND NOT JUST WORRY FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BUT WORRY ABOUT HOW OUR ENEMIES SEE US. RUSSIA SEES THAT. CHINA SEES THAT, IRAN SEES THAT. SO WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT’S NOT JUST THE PRESIDENT, NOT JUST THE VICE PRESIDENT, BUT ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE TO SHOW THAT, YES, THEY’RE UP TO THE TASK. IF A PRESIDENT IS SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING THE DEBT AND THE DEFICIT UNDER CONTROL, DON’T DEFENSE SPENDING CUTS HAVE TO BE ON THE TABLE? NO, NOT NECESSARILY. WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS, FIRST OF ALL, IT’S HOW YOU SPEND. BUT IT’S HOW YOU SPEND SMARTLY. YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT THERE IS WASTE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. BUT LET’S FOCUS ON WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO HAVE A STRONG MILITARY, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE SURE WE’RE MOVING TOWARDS THE NEXT GENERATION? IT’S NOT JUST LAND, AIR, SEA. IT’S GOT TO BE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. IT’S GOT TO BE CYBER. WE’VE GOT TO FOCUS ON THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. SO IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SPENDING AND YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT DEBT FIRST, LET’S ACKNOWLEDGE THAT REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS DID THAT TO US. FIRST, ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT THERE’S A SPENDING PROBLEM IN D.C., THERE IS A BORROWING PROBLEM IN D.C. THEY OPENED UP EARMARKS AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN YEARS. THAT’S NOT HOW AMERICANS WANT THEIR TAXPAYER DOLLARS SPENT. LET’S DO IT ON THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE. LET’S DO IT ON THE THINGS THAT GO BACK TO THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS JUST TO SECURE THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF THE PEOPLE, NOT BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE. RIGHT NOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ESSENTIALLY LOOKING THE OTHER WAY AS STATES MOVE FORWARD WITH THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA. IF CONGRESS DOESN’T TAKE FURTHER ACTION AS PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT OR NON ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL CANNABIS LAWS? I’M A STATES RIGHTS PERSON, SO I THINK THESE TYPES OF DECISIONS ARE BEST DECIDED AT THE STATE LEVEL. IT’S WHERE PEOPLE CAN SHOW THE POWER OF THEIR VOICE. SOME STATES WILL WANT TO SEE IT AND THAT ALLOWS THEM THE RIGHT TO DO THAT. SOME DON’T WANT TO SEE IT, AND THAT ALLOWS THEM THAT RIGHT. AND SO I’M ALWAYS, ESPECIALLY AS A GOVERNOR, BELIEVE THAT THE FREEDOMS OF PEOPLE TO DECIDE WHAT IT IS THEY WANT IN THEIR STATE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO STAY TRUE TO THAT. DO YOU THINK U.S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES SHOULD BE ACCEPTING GIFTS OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE BUSINESS THAT COMES BEFORE THE COURT? I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE TO DISCLOSE EVERYTHING. TRANSPARENCY FIXES ALL THINGS, AND I THINK IT’S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE THAT IS HOLDING ANY SORT OF OFFICE OF SERVICE THAT THEY HAVE TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHO COULD BE INFLUENCING THEM OR WHAT THEY’RE DOING. AND I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, AS GOVERNOR, I HAD TO GO AND DISCLOSE ANYTHING THAT I GOT. I WAS HAPPY TO LET TAXPAYER TO SEE IT. I THINK WE NEED TO DO THAT FOR EVERYONE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT ONE OF THE OTHER TWO BRANCHES SHOULD ENFORCE ON THE JUDICIAL BRANCH OR SHOULD IT BE DOING IT ITSELF? WELL, I THINK THE JUDICIAL BRANCH SHOULD WANT TO DO IT. FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE IN A POSITION OF SERVICE, YOU SHOULD WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT. BUT IF THEY DON’T THINK IT’S FINE FOR FOR CONGRESS TO SIT THERE AND SAY, LOOK, WE WANT TO SEE EVERYBODY HAVE TO DISCLOSE. ALL RIGHT, AMBASSADOR, THIS WAS THE EASY PART IS I’D LIKE TO SAY THE HARD PART AWAITS WITH THE TOWN HALL VOTERS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE BACK THERE. COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, WE’LL BRING OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THIS CONVERSATION. STAY WIT