Why Gen Z Right Finds A New MAGA Champion In Nikki Haley's Son Nalin Haley

Nalin Haley, the 24-year-old son of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, is now one of the most popular young voices on the American right.

After a high-visibility appearance on Tucker Carlson's show and a rapid surge in online following, political commentators are beginning to see him as a potential new face of a shifting MAGA movement.

The last thing an H-1B visa worker sees before getting sent back

Thank you to @TuckerCarlson for having me. Interview starts at 46:45. We talk about:
* My conversion to Catholicism
* The mainstream media
* Economy
* Immigration
* Foreign Policy https://t.co/G7zEJFY9hW pic.twitter.com/bEMuTVCl7T

— Nalin Haley (@Nalin_Haley) November 20, 2025

A widely shared X post by right-wing commentator Evan Kilgore read, “Nalin Haley is going to quickly rise to become the face of the male Gen Z Right-Wing.”

“The kid is going places,” he added.

I'm calling it right now.

Nalin Haley is going to quickly rise to become the face of the male Gen Z Right-Wing.

I've watched multiple interviews with him. He is extremely well spoken and has based views on immigration and foreign policy.

This kid is going places. @Nalin_Haley https://t.co/GVUaqwdJQE pic.twitter.com/mpEZy4vqFi

— Evan Kilgore ???????? (@EvanAKilgore) November 20, 2025

Nalin Haley's rise coincides with young Americans' growing demand for the way Republicans approach politics, something he shed light on during his conversation with Carlson.

Exit polls from the 2024 election showed Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris by 14 points among male Gen Z voters. While older Gen Z Americans remain more mixed politically, younger Gen Z men and younger Gen Z women appear increasingly inclined toward Republican positions, according to the Yale Youth Poll.

Haley's commentary on nationalism, anti-establishment anger, and cultural grievance has made him appealing to this younger conservative base. After being labelled everything from “Fascist” to “Woke Right”, he wrote on X, “You're not radical for wanting [these things]. You're rational.”

You're not radical for wanting a job, affordable housing, and safe streets. You're rational! Don't let anyone convince you otherwise

— Nalin Haley (@Nalin_Haley) November 9, 2025

During his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Haley outlined a series of hardline proposals. He argued that naturalised citizens should not be allowed to hold public office, saying that being raised in the US from birth is “a big part of understanding the country.” The position has implications for current officeholders, including Democratic New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is naturalised.

Haley also called for limiting foreign students in US universities, saying, “Some of them are spies, by the way.” He called for banning dual citizenship, which he described as “the stupidest idea.” He also spoke about disallowing foreign military service, calling it inherently disqualifying for anyone with ties to the US.

“You are either American, or you're not an American,” Haley said.

Days before that, he argued for halting “legal immigration,” linking it to job scarcity for young Americans. In an interview with UnHerd, he said none of his high-achieving friends could find work a year and a half after graduating.

“So when you see a bunch of foreigners coming over here to take jobs that [my friends] wanted,” he said, “they have every right to be pissed, and I'm pissed for them.”

Political experts say Haley's appeal is a slow migration away from Trump's original 2016 vision. Thomas Gift, director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London, told Newsweek, “Trump has unleashed a political creature with MAGA one he can no longer fully control… In many ways, Trump is now too tame for parts of the movement he started. That may include rising leaders like Nalin Haley.”

Adam Hilton, a politics professor at Mount Holyoke College, said Haley shows a growing trend within the far-right space during Trump's second administration. “The race is on to succeed Trump as the leader of the MAGA movement,” Hilton said, noting a “deep bench” of ambitious contenders.

Haley has repeatedly rejected political labels, insisting he does not feel represented by either party. “I don't feel represented by anybody,” he told Carlson.