Nalin Haley, son of former UN Ambassador and current presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, has stirred controversy with his recent call for a halt to legal immigration and a reduction in foreign aid. In an interview with the anti-establishment commentary website UnHerd, he also suggested expelling journalist Mehdi Hasan from the U.S., arguing that the new wave of MAGA conservatives is not bound by conventional norms.

The 24-year-old has gained attention for his outspoken Republican views, even admitting that his support for his mother’s 2024 presidential bid is primarily to fulfill his role as a “good son.” Nikki Haley, whose parents emigrated from Punjab, India, to the U.S. in the early 1960s, has traditionally supported legal immigration and sees foreign aid as integral to America’s international strategy. When asked about his comments on Hasan, Nalin Haley insisted that his intentions were genuine.

“I genuinely mean that,” he stated. “If someone hates America, they shouldn’t be here. It’s straightforward. The previous generation complicates everything with rules and regulations. But if you don’t like America, leave.” Nalin emphasized his independence from his parents’ political views, specifically referencing his mother’s challenge to Donald Trump in the GOP primary. “I was never going to back a view that wasn’t my own,” he affirmed.

He also argued that the US should stop all forms of foreign aid until issues like unemployment and medical debt are addressed. Haley went against Vivek Ramaswamy’s call to Republicans to move away from identity politics and avoid focusing on race or religion following the republican parties losses in New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Nalin dismissed Ramaswamy’s stance as ‘cringeworthy.’

‘My friend group from high school, all graduated, great degrees from great schools. It’s been a year and a half, and not one of them has a job — not one,’ he said, adding, ‘I’m angry at that, because I’m having to try and help my friends get jobs when their parents got jobs immediately — not just after graduating college, but out of high school,’ he said. Haley went on to say that housing has become increasingly unaffordable, adding that he feels he won’t be able to afford one in this economy. ‘My parents bought their first house for $90,000. I mean, that house is probably now worth $400,000,’ he said. ‘How can we compete?’

Haley has often spoken about her parents’ journey to the US from India, describing how they built a life for she and her three siblings in rural South Carolina. The Republican has framed their experience, as the only Indian family in their community, as evidence of America’s openness to hardworking immigrants who want to contribute and succeed. During her tenure as UN ambassador, Haley defended foreign aid as a tool of soft power, emphasizing that strategic assistance to allies helps prevent global instability and promotes US interests abroad.

She argued that aid, when properly targeted, can reduce conflict and terrorism long before it reaches the US. On immigration, Haley has repeatedly drawn a distinction between legal and illegal entry, calling for stronger border security but praising legal immigrants as a vital part of the country’s economic and cultural diversity. She frequently referred to her own family’s story as a testament to the American Dream – a perspective at odds with her son’s calls for freezing legal immigration entirely. Daily Mail reached out to Hasan for comment.