During an exclusive interview with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on Friday’s NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer suggested the Republican could suffer violence for leading the effort to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol: “You have faced relentless criticism over the last four or five weeks, Governor....they've promised political retribution. Some have even promised personal retribution....are you concerned for your personal safety?”
Haley replied: “No. You know, I have faith. And I will tell you that Ethyl Lance used to sing a song, and the song would be – basically said, ‘One day sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of you. Give me the strength to do every day what I have to do.’ And that's all I've thought about every day.”
In a prior question to the Governor, Lauer wondered: “As that flag comes down today in your state, you know there are going to be an awful lot of people who are going to see it as a defeat, they're gonna be angry, and they're gonna think it’s a piece of their heritage that is coming down. What do you say to those people this morning?”
Haley explained: “I think we've gone through that debate and what we've said is that in South Carolina we honor tradition, we honor history, we honor heritage. But there’s a place for that flag and that flag needs to be in a museum where we will continue to make sure that people can honor it appropriately.”
In his final question, Lauer noted The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker speculating on Haley being tapped as a 2016 running mate: “[He] tweeted this following the signing ceremony yesterday, quote, ‘If Jeb Bush was watching TV just now, I wonder if he was thinking, ‘I've just found my VP.’ Big moment for Nikki Haley.’ Do you think this two-week period or three-week period has launched you into a different orbit in terms of national politics?”
Here is a transcript of the July 10 interview:
7:04 AM ET
MATT LAUER: South Carolina's Governor Nikki Haley is with us now exclusively. Governor Haley, good morning, thanks for being with us.
GOV. NIKKI HALEY [R-SC]: Good morning, Matt. It’s a great day in South Carolina.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: SC Governor on Removing Flag; Nikki Haley on Confederacy, Clashes & Moving On]
LAUER: Well, let's talk about it. The events of yesterday and today would have seemed unthinkable five weeks ago in your state. So let's start this morning by just, tell me about your emotions this morning, personally.
HALEY: You know, I'm proud. I'm proud of the people of South Carolina that came together after a terrible tragedy. I think about the Emanuel Nine. I think about Cynthia Hurd, whose life motto was “Be kinder than necessary.” I think about Twanza Sanders, who was the youngest victim at 26 years old, ready to become a barber, whose last words before he – as he stood in front of his Aunt Susie said “We mean no harm to you. You don't have to do this.” You know, I think about so many of the victims. Sharonda Singleton, who gave so much hope to so many kids as a teacher and a coach, but left three children of her own. That’s what I'm thinking of, I’m thinking of those nine people today.
LAUER: And you've talked about them and their grace and the forgiveness of their family members and you said that they started action all around this country. They made us think of our – not of our differences but what our similarities are. And yet, there are still differences, Governor. As that flag comes down today in your state, you know there are going to be an awful lot of people who are going to see it as a defeat, they're gonna be angry, and they're gonna think it’s a piece of their heritage that is coming down. What do you say to those people this morning?
HALEY: I think we've gone through that debate and what we've said is that in South Carolina we honor tradition, we honor history, we honor heritage. But there’s a place for that flag and that flag needs to be in a museum where we will continue to make sure that people can honor it appropriately. But the state house is – that’s an area that belongs to everyone and no one should ever drive by the state house and feel pain. No one should ever drive by the state house and feel like they don't belong. And so I think this is a hopeful day for South Carolina. I think it’s a day that we can all say that we have come together as a state. I think you can look at the way South Carolina responded to this tragedy, and I think we can all say that hopefully the Emanuel Nine are looking down and feeling proud today.
LAUER: You have faced relentless criticism over the last four or five weeks, Governor. There are people who brought up your Indian heritage, they've called you an outsider, they've promised political retribution. Some have even promised personal retribution. As a result of the events of the last couple of weeks, are you concerned for your personal safety?
HALEY: No. You know, I have faith. And I will tell you that Ethyl Lance used to sing a song, and the song would be – basically said, "One day sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of you. Give me the strength to do every day what I have to do." And that's all I've thought about every day. And we've gotten through a tough time in South Carolina. We're still grieving. It is going to be a while before the healing really starts to begin. But after the emotions come down, after everybody looks back, they're gonna look back to the fact that nine people accepted someone into a church that didn't look like them, didn't sound like them, and prayed with him for an hour. The love and the faith and the acceptance taught the entire state and country what love looks like. And those families taught us what forgiveness looks like. They've given us a path for the children as we go forward.
LAUER: Governor, a lot of people have commented on the way you've handled these events and handled yourself over these last several weeks. Mitt Romney tweeted yesterday, "Congratulations to Nikki Haley for real and symbolic leadership." Philip Rucker of The Washington Post tweeted this following the signing ceremony yesterday, quote, “If Jeb Bush was watching TV just now, I wonder if he was thinking, ‘I've just found my VP.’ Big moment for Nikki Haley.” Do you think this two-week period or three-week period has launched you into a different orbit in terms of national politics?
HALEY: You know, if I do my job right, and that means I need to work harder, the people will talk about the lives of those nine people. What they taught South Carolina. What they taught the country. What their families taught us. And how the people of South Carolina responded should show our country we can do this. We can do this and we can continue to move forward as a country in a way that unifies people and that shows what real love looks like. That's what I want people to get out of this. I don't want this to go away quickly. I want people to remember what today feels like and know that anything is possible with us. So I'll keep my focus on that.
LAUER: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Governor, thanks for your time this morning. We'll be watching today.
HALEY: Thank you, Matt.
