Nikki Haley tweets COVID ‘likely’ came from Chinese lab, pledges to cut US aid if elected president

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley turned to social media on Monday as she continued to push her plan, if elected, to cut off funding to China.

“COVID-19 likely came from a Chinese lab,” Haley tweeted on Twitter. “Cut US aid. Not a cent to Communist China.”

The tweet came a day after the U.S. Energy Department reportedly assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China.

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The department was previously undecided on the origin of the pandemic, but now joins the FBI’s stance that the virus likely spread due to a mishap at a Chinese laboratory, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress.

Haley also wrote an oped for the New York Post last Friday, criticizing Democratic and Republican presidential administrations for how they have managed foreign aid, adding that the U.S. spent $46 billion in 2022, aiding countries like Iraq, Pakistan, and China.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks to supporters during her speech Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Charleston, S.C. Haley launched her 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, betting that her boundary-breaking career as a woman and person of color who governed in the heart of the South before representing the U.S. on the world stage can overcome entrenched support for her onetime boss, former President Donald Trump.(AP Photo/Mic Smith) (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

“American taxpayers still give money to Communist China for ridiculous environment programs, despite the obvious threat China poses to Americans,” she wrote. “We give money to Belarus, which is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s closest ally. We even give money to Communist Cuba — a country our own government has designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.”

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She added if elected, she would cut every cent to foreign aid for countries that hate the U.S.

Danielle Wallace and Chris Pandolfo of Fox News contributed to this report.