In February, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley announced her White House bid, saying that it is “time for a new generation of leadership” in Washington DC.
But it was Nikki’s daughter Rena who grabbed headlines after her mum rushed to her defence during the third 2024 Republican Party presidential primary debate on November 9.
So who is Rena Haley and what exactly happened during the debate? Here’s what you need to know.
Nikki and Rena Haley’s presidential debate shock
It has been called one of the most emotionally charged moments of the Republican debate. Nikki, 51, was attacked by Ramaswamy, 38, because of her pledge to ban TikTok in the US over national security concerns. Ramaswamy commented on how Nikki’s own daughter Rena uses the platform.
“She made fun of me for joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time,” Ramaswamy said. “So you might want to take care of your family first before preaching to anyone else.”
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Nikki immediately snapped back, “leave my daughter out of your voice,” later calling him “scum” for referring to her daughter during the debate.
The incident has led to widespread criticism not only because of divided opinions about bringing personal matters into the debate, but also because of the way Nikki handled the comments.
More than that, there has been massive interest about the person in question: Rena Haley Jackson, who has since topped trends and search lists.
Rena’s all-American life
Born in South Carolina on June 8, 1998, Rena is the first child to Nikki and Michael Haley. She has a younger brother, Nalin, who was born in 2001.
Rena was a cheerleader in high school and took her cheer career seriously, speaking about her love for it regularly on her Instagram page. She attended River Bluff High School and, after going varsity, spoke about missing her team and the “tough training sessions”.
She then attended her parents’ alma mater, Clemson University, per People magazine.
She’s a nurse in the making
Rena detailed her journey to becoming a paediatric nurse on her Instagram page. In 2021, she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing after she passed her board exams and became a registered nurse. She spent time doing community service in Costa Rica, writing in one Instagram post: “449 patients, 3 communities, 2 weeks, 1 goal”. She added that she was grateful to be able to serve locals and that each patient made an impact on her.
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She openly loves her husband, Joshua Jackson
Rena started dating her now husband Joshua Jackson in 2018. While celebrating their one year anniversary, she called him “my constant light” on Instagram. Joking about their relationship in her post, Rena thanked him for sharing his food, watching her shows with her and “coming over to kill a cockroach because I’m scared.”
She’s supportive of her dad William Haley’s career
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Rena’s father is William Michael Haley, a major in the US National Guard. Per People magazine, he is currently serving a year-long deployment in Djibouti, East Africa, which began in June.
In an emotional post on her Instagram, Rena referred to her dad as her “first best friend”. She acknowledged that a “year seems like forever right now, I know we will see you soon”. She also wished him a successful deployment and that he “returns home safely”.
