Nikki Haley's State of the Union Response Draws Mixed Reactions

Despite winning bipartisan praise for her speech responding to the President’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley drew the ire of pundits and politicians on the conservative right when some interpreted her words as criticism of her own party.

“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation,” Haley said in her response Tuesday night.

Haley also addressed immigration in her speech, saying it was necessary for the country to focus on "stopping illegal immigration. And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion.”

She also referenced her own background, saying, "I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country.”

While Haley did not call out candidates or colleagues by name, she confirmed during a Wednesday appearance on the TODAY Show that Donald Trump was one of the “angriest voices” she referenced in her speech. “Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk,” she told Matt Lauer.

The division in Republican reactions to Haley’s speech highlighted the increasing divide within the party. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called Haley "weak on illegal immigration" on Wednesday, and conservative pundit Ann Poulter tweeted, “Trump should deport Nikki Haley." Others, including Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush and conservative pundit Matt Lewis, tweeted their support:

An email to the Republican National Committee seeking comment on the backlash within the party has not yet been returned.

Haley is the second Indian-American politician to deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union. She follows Bobby Jindal, then-governor of Louisiana, who was widely panned for his response speech in 2009.

Haley found herself in the national spotlight last summer when a gunman killed nine people at Mother Emanuel, a church in Charleston. Following the shooting, Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from state capitol grounds, marking a shift from previous remarks. During a 2014 debate, Haley also noted, regarding the flag's impact on South Carolina's image, “Perception matters, but we really kind of fixed all that when you elected the first Indian American, female governor.”

RELATED: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Calls for Removal of Confederate Flag From State Capitol

These comments generated criticism from those in the Asian-American community — particularly South Asian Americans, who viewed her comments as evading the problems of racial inequity.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSPhone a friend: Republicans lean on Cabinet members as they break with Trump

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

Slide 1 of 1

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSPhone a friend: Republicans lean on Cabinet members as they break with Trump

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

Slide 1 of 1

In a June 2015 blog post, South Asian-American activist and writer Deepa Iyer wrote, “Our ethnicity should not be trotted out to justify racist symbols or actions.”

She called upon Indian and South Asian Americans to send a message to Haley to take down the Confederate flag, saying, “Just because Indian Americans are elected to political office, just because the halls of political power look more diverse, does not mean that racial injustice simply disappears.”

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.