FORMER US ambassador Nikki Haley has always made it clear her husband is one of her biggest supporters and advocates.
The Republican former presidential candidate wed military man Michael in 1996 following both a Sikh and Methodist ceremony in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Who is Nikki Haley's husband Michael?
Michael Haley is an Ohio native and a commissioned officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard.
He met Nikki in 1989 while attending Clemson University.
The two married in September 1996, and have two children together, their son Nalin and daughter Rena.
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In January 2012, Haley was shipped out for a year-long tour of duty in Afghanistan as a captain, serving in Helmand Province.
The unit served as an Agribusiness Development Team, helping Afghan farmers improve their techniques and develop cash crops to replace opium poppies.
Michael served as a liaison between the military and civil authorities and is thought to have been the first spouse of a governor to serve on active duty in a war zone.
He also acted as the First Gentleman of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, after his wife became the first female governor of the state.
The dad has also dipped his toe into the world of politics by serving on the board of a conservative advocacy group, the Palmetto Family Council.
What did Michael say about his year-long tour of duty?
In 2016, Michael explained how difficult it was to be apart from his family while on his year-long tour of duty.
As well as a string of dramatic tales from the frontline, he explained how he kept in touch with Nikki each day via email.
He said: "There's a lot lost in translation.
"You don't get the emotion, the humor you get in one-on-one communication on the telephone or physically being there."
Michael described how hearing about family activities after they happened was like "looking back in the rearview mirror at your life over the past year".
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What did Nikki Haley say about Donald Trump?
Nikki vowed she would "never" run against Donald Trump before their relationship hit the rocks.
She issued stunning remarks about the former president in the wake of the Capitol riot, saying she believes he "let us down."
Nikki, who served in her ambassador role under Trump, told Politico: “We need to acknowledge he let us down.
“He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him.
"And we can’t let that ever happen again.”
The mom-of-two claimed she had not spoken to Trump since the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“When I tell you I’m angry, it’s an understatement,” Nikki said. adding her disappointment at Trump for condemning his own vice president, Mike Pence.
She said: “I am so disappointed in the fact that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence, that he would do that to him. Like, I’m disgusted by it.”
In the days immediately following the attack, Nikki said in a speech to Republican National Committee members that Trump was “badly wrong with his words,” at his January 6 rally.
She added: "And it wasn’t just his words. His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history."
However, after publicly signaling her intent to run for president in 2024, Nikki reportedly got in touch with her former boss.
Trump welcomed the competition and encouraged her to follow through with her White House bid.
On February 14, 2023, Nikki Haley announced in a video that she'd be officially running for president in 2024.
Haley said: "My mom would always say your job is not to focus on the differences but the similarities. My parents reminded me and my siblings every day how blessed we were to live in America.
"Some look at our past as evidence that America's founding principles are bad. They say the promise of freedom is just made up. Some think our ideas are not just wrong, but racist and evil. Nothing could be further from the truth."
However, over a year later into the presidential race, following Super Tuesday, Haley dropped out of the race.
"Just over a year ago, I launched my campaign for president. When I began I said the campaign is grounded in my love for the country," Haley said.
"But the time has now come to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard, I have done that.
"I have no regrets, and although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in."
Haley additionally said she would not endorse Trump.
