Haley declares 'America is worth fighting for,' warns of fading national pride

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Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Saturday called for the U.S. to renew its patriotism, declaring that America "is worth fighting for" — while warning of a fading national pride among younger generations.

Haley, in a speech to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society where she received the Patriot Award, paid tribute to those who have received the Medal of Honor in attendance.

"You, above all others, remind us that America is worth fighting for," she said, in prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital.

But she warned that anti-American sentiment is not just a characteristic of America’s foes at the United Nations — where she was the U.S. Ambassador from 2017-2019 — but is increasingly found within America’s own borders.

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Haley is arguing that U.S. enemies are ready to rush into the breach if America fails. (Nikki Halley Stand for America PAC)

"It pains me to say that we live in a time when national pride is fading fast. Now, I’m no stranger to people hating on the United States. I saw it every day at the U.N. Dictators and thugs loved to get in front of the camera and tell the world how bad America is," she said. "It’s their favorite pastime, and as far as I can tell, it’s now the main purpose of the United Nations."

"Proving the haters wrong and defending our country was the best part of the job. But I never expected to hear those same lies from my fellow Americans," she said.

Haley pointed to anger on social media, riots in cities across the country, as well as the "indoctrination of the college classroom and the cowardice in the corporate boardroom."

Pushing back against that sentiment, she cited her experience as a U.N. ambassador where she traveled to "dark places" where "life is cheap, liberty is non-existent and happiness is a distant dream."

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"I was in the Democratic Republican of Congo, where they use rape as a weapon of war. I was in South Sudan, where I hugged mothers whose babies were taken from their arms and thrown into a fire, right in front of them. I saw images of dead children in Syria, where the dictator used chemical weapons to murder them. I dealt with North Korea, where the regime starves its people to feed its nuclear weapons program. And I confronted Communist China, where ethnic minorities are put in de facto concentration camps," she said.

As a result, she argued that America "isn’t just another country."

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"America is the best nation in human history — and she deserves all of our love," she said. "We have to get our patriotism back. We have to raise up the next generation to love our country, not hate it."

Haley, a top hawk when it comes to the threats from countries like Iran and China, warned that U.S. foes enjoy seeing anti-American sentiment present on U.S. soil and are ready to "rush into the breach."

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"Our enemies, at least, have the courage of their convictions. If we hope to beat them, then we must, too. The most important mission in America today is to end this self-loathing — and regain our self belief and pride," she argued.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is a nonprofit aimed at preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor and its recipients. There are currently 65 living recipients of the prestigious award.