Nalin Haley Says Naturalized Citizens Should Be Barred From Holding Office — Remarks Draw Praise and Criticism

Nalin Haley, the son of former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, told Tucker Carlson on The Tucker Carlson Show that he believes "naturalized citizens should not be able to hold public office." The interview aired Thursday and followed Carlson's own controversial appearance with Nick Fuentes, which attracted widespread attention.

During the conversation, Haley discussed how he thinks young people react to figures like Fuentes and shifted into a critique of current immigration and integration patterns in the United States. He argued that expectations of assimilation changed during President Barack Obama’s administration and said that immigrants today are less likely to adopt American cultural norms.

"Immigrants historically have basically been expected to assimilate. And then around the Obama years was when you started to see a shift of like, 'No, you don’t need to change. You can be who you are,'" Haley said. "No, you need to assimilate. You have to. Because without it, we lose our identity as a country."

Haley criticized what he described as isolated immigrant communities, citing areas such as Minneapolis' Somali neighborhoods and parts of Miami where English is not widely spoken. When Carlson asked him to expand, Haley said, "naturalized citizens should not be able to hold public office," and added that growing up in the United States is important to understanding the country.

"So naturalized citizens should not be able to hold public office. Growing up here is a big part of understanding the country. We need to stop and limit the amount of foreign students that are coming into our universities. Some of them are spies, by the way, for foreign governments... And we should also not allow dual citizenship because that’s the stupidest idea. You’re either American or you’re not," he said.

Haley framed his position around loyalty to the United States: "People should have their loyalty to America first. And if they can’t do that, then this ain’t the country for you."

Reactions

Some conservative figures praised Haley's remarks. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) tweeted that he "has more sense than my colleagues in the House and Senate," and commentator Benny Johnson called the position "common sense."

Others on the right voiced reservations or criticism. Former congressman George Santos, who is a dual citizen, objected to Haley's blanket dismissal of dual citizenship while agreeing with parts of his stance on naturalized citizens and foreign students. Activist Laura Loomer criticized Haley for earlier comments he made about former President Donald Trump.

Nalin Haley is the son of Nikki Haley, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination and later endorsed Donald Trump. His comments add to an ongoing national debate over immigration, assimilation, dual citizenship and eligibility for public office.

Context and implications

Haley's statement that naturalized citizens should be barred from public office touches on constitutional and civic questions: the U.S. Constitution already restricts the presidency to "natural born" citizens, but most other federal and state offices are open to naturalized citizens. The remarks are likely to intensify conversations about immigration policy, national identity and the role of cultural assimilation in civic life.