SC’s Haley tells ‘little rocket man’ U.N. backstory about Trump to kickoff new Sirius show

The U.N. ambassador’s advice to a U.S. president addressing world leaders: Keep it like church, she recalled.

Although her recommendation about not making a joke at the expense of North Korea’s leader wasn’t taken, Nikki Haley regaled listeners with the speed of Donald Trump’s ‘little rocket man’ nickname catching on.

Haley, former South Carolina governor and 2024 presidential candidate, launched her new satellite radio show on SiriusXM on Wednesday with a memory of a conversation she had with Trump before his speech at the United Nations in New York.

“Nikki Haley Live” debited Wednesday at 8 a.m. In her first episode, she discussed a variety of topics with her longtime staffer Chaney Denton. From attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies to the presidential election, she showed listeners a bit of who she was while recounting times in her political career — even talking about the current television shows she’s watching.

In one part of the episode, Haley told the story of Trump’s first world speech, or his first on a international stage.

Trump called her the Sunday before, asking if she had the chance to look over his U.N. speech for High-level week in New York, an event that brings together world leaders. Haley told Trump she had read over it and thought it was great, but reminded the former president of the venue.

“When you go to the United Nations, it’s a serious place,” Haley said she recalled telling Trump over the phone. “It’s gonna be quiet when you speak, it’s not going to be like a rally, you’re not going to hear applause, none of that. So, you know, I want you to think of it like church.”

Trump said back, “Got it, got it, church,” Haley recalled before asking her a question.

“I was thinking, what if I refer to Kim Jong Un as little rocket man in the speech?” Haley said Trump asked.

Haley takes a second during the show as Denton laughs with her.

“I said to the president, ‘Mr. President, did you not just hear the part I said about church?’ He said ‘I know I know, but I tweeted it out and it killed with the base.’ And so I said, ‘look you’re the president, you can say whatever you want to say,’ “ Haley said.

The North Korean delegation was sitting in the front row when he said it, Haley said, then described their delayed reaction due to translation. But everyone laughed, she added.

Haley recalled meeting hours later with the president of Uganda, who asked “So, tell me madam ambassador, what are we going to do about this little rocket man?,” she said.

For the rest of the week, Haley said, everybody referred to Kim Jong Un as little rocket man.

“That was the power that was Donald Trump. He could literally call someone something and the rest of the world started calling Kim Jong Un little rocket man,” Haley said.

This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 9:07 AM.