The 46-year-old former governor of South Carolina said the Catholic charity invited her because they wanted “to spice things up” at this year’s dinner, after a “choir boy” appearance last year by House Speaker Paul Ryan.
“I get it. You wanted an Indian woman, but Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test,” Haley joked.
“Actually, when the President found out that I was Indian-American, he asked if I was from the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren,” she added.
Being the U.S.ambassador to the United Nations, Haley is clearly comfortable speaking in front of all kinds of audiences, taking on a serious and often stern tone when representing the United States. Haley showed that she has a light side to her as she brought laughs and applause from the audience, here are her funniest lines.
“As a member of the Trump cabinet it is a thrill to be out to dinner without being harassed.”
“You wanted an Indian woman, but Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test.”
“When the president found out I was Indian American, he asked me if I was from the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren.”
“Jeff Sessions wanted to be here but he recused himself. Actually, I saw Jeff Sessions earlier today. Not in New York. I saw him on LinkedIn today looking for a job. Actually, we both were.”
“Hilary Clinton’s…invitation never arrived, and she is furious. She is blaming James Comey and the Russians and misogyny and everyone.”
“My parents are immigrants from India – LEGAL immigrants. Right now some people are thinking – do we still have those? Even though they came here legally, I keep them at an undisclosed location, just in case.”
“A recent study found 91 percent of the president’s news coverage was negative. The other 9 percent was really negative.”
“I learned that the UN has 193 member nations – 180 which are mad at us on any given day.”
But amid the jokes, Haley struck a serious tone and called for greater civility in an America that seems to be riven by harsh and unyielding rhetoric, which she said is coming from both sides of the political divide, NBC reported.
“In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war — that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children — that is evil,” she said. “In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death — that was evil.
“In the last two years, I’ve seen true evil,” she continued. “We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”
Haley also referenced the sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church, and said the devastating effects on the victims is compounded by the perpetrators being in positions of faith and trust.
One joke – about it being “fake news” that she was running for president – met with dead silence, broken by a few uneasy noises. There is a good chance that Haley will run for president in 2024, and based on her popularity, and the virtual unanimous support she would receive from women and Republicans, there is a good chance she would win.