Nikki Haley's son says his favourite hobby is 'ragebating Indians' as he takes a dig at 'Vifake Ramaslimey'

A social media clash involving Vivek Ramaswamy and Nalin Haley, the son of former UN ambassador and Republican leader Nikki Haley, has ignited backlash online after Nalin openly bragged about provoking racist responses while taking aim at the Indian-American politician.

The controversy erupted after Ramaswamy announced that he was stepping back from social media, a move that quickly became fodder for critics on the American right, including Haley’s son.

Ramaswamy quits social media after online abuse

Ramaswamy said the hostility he faced online had reached a breaking point, prompting him to quit social media platforms personally. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, the former DOGE leader wrote that he deleted X and Instagram from his phone on New Year’s Eve.

“I’ll spend my newfound time listening to more voters in real-world Ohio, developing more policies to make our state affordable, and being more present with my family,” he wrote.

Ramaswamy added that while his campaign team would continue using social media to distribute messages, he himself would stop scrolling through posts. He described social media as “a tempting alternative” to costly polling but warned that it often distorts reality.

“The messages you’re most likely to see are the most negative and bombastic,” he wrote. Ramaswamy also said online commentary is largely shaped by bots and foreign actors, which can mislead politicians about what real voters think.

The decision drew attention because it appeared to contradict Ramaswamy’s own earlier rhetoric. In a previous post that resurfaced widely, he had written: “If you’re scared of your comment section, you are not fit to lead.”

Nalin Haley mocks Ramaswamy and revives old remarks

Nalin Haley seized on that contradiction. In a post on X, he shared screenshots of Ramaswamy’s old comment alongside the Wall Street Journal op-ed announcing his withdrawal from social media.

“If you’re wondering why the emoji is white now it’s cuz there’s a random intern on the other side of the screen Vifake Ramaslimey said just a few weeks ago that if you can’t handle mean words on a screen you can’t govern. For once he’s right and should take his own advice,” Nalin wrote.

The post quickly went viral, triggering a flood of replies, some amused, others sharply critical, many of which focused on Nalin Haley’s language and personal attacks.

‘Rage baiting Indians,’ Nalin Haley boasts

As the comment section filled up, one user replied to Nalin Haley with a racist remark: “You will be deported back to India.” Rather than distancing himself from the comment, Nalin responded by embracing the controversy.

“My all time favorite hobby is rage baiting Indians and Leftists into being racist. Never gets old,” he wrote. The remark drew fresh outrage, with critics accusing him of deliberately encouraging racist abuse for engagement, while supporters framed it as trolling political opponents.