Ambassador Nikki Haley hasn’t left the building yet, and thank goodness. Last night, she gave the keynote speech at the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York, which is traditionally a good-natured roast. In presidential election years, the candidates usually give dueling roasts at this event. We just got a taste of what Nikki Haley as a presidential candidate might sound like in 2024.

Spoiler alert: she got solid material to work with, and she absolutely delivered.

And yes, that is comedian Jim Gaffigan sitting next to Haley. Gaffigan was the MC for the evening.

Haley got in some solid jabs at Senator Elizabeth Warren…

.@nikkihaley at Al Smith dinner “I get it. You wanted an Indian woman, but Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test.” pic.twitter.com/0yd8nLa14U

— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) October 19, 2018

… Mayor Bill de Blasio..

“Mayor, remember as a member of the UN delegation, I do have diplomatic immunity,” she said. “You’re all familiar with diplomatic immunity? It’s an exemption from prosecution, but as Mayor de Blasio calls it: a sanctuary city.”

As de Blasio cringed in his seat and most of the audience clapped, she then picked up a glass and deadpanned: “Oh look, I got the mayor’s drink by mistake, there’s no ICE!”

… and even President Trump got a poking.

Nikki Haley poked fun at President Trump at a charity dinner. When the president first learned of her Indian heritage, she said, “He asked me if I was from the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren.” https://t.co/w0F3Fhnk93

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 19, 2018

Speaking of de Blasio, apparently he and Governor Andrew Cuomo spent the evening studiously ignoring each other. The audience in attendance were not impressed with either of them.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo got a chilly reception at a Midtown charity dinner Thursday night as both were greeted with boos and scattered clapping while being announced.

But the interaction — or lack of it — between the political rivals during the 73rd annual Al Smith Dinner was even colder.

As de Blasio arrived on stage and headed toward his seat, Cuomo turned his head and jumped out of his seat. He then briskly walked away to greet other dignitaries nearby who were already seated — never making eye contact with de Blasio, who was shaking hands with former Mayor David Dinkins and other political allies.

Event organizers seated the governor and mayor near each other, only separating them at the dinner table with powerhouse real estate broker Mary Ann Tighe.

It took more than two hours before the governor and mayor had any interaction on stage. As the event ended, Cuomo tapped de Blasio — who was looking the other way — on his back, as if to say goodbye, while briskly heading off stage. Hizzoner nodded back.

Most other guests received huge cheers, including former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and outgoing United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, the keynote speaker at the event, which is meant to serve as a good-natured roast.

Cuomo and de Blasio loathe each other, and it was on display last night.

But they were a mere sulky sideshow compared to how Nikki Haley wound up her speech.

Outgoing US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says "our political opponents are not evil," in a notable message of unity at a time of searing division https://t.co/fknu23pklo pic.twitter.com/r7LQI3h9Hq

— CNN (@CNN) October 19, 2018

“In our toxic political life, I’ve heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil,” Haley said at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York. “In America, our political opponents are not evil.”

“In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war, that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children, that is evil. In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death, that was evil,” she said.

“In the last two years, I’ve seen true evil,” Haley continued. “We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil, they’re just our opponents.”

Now more than ever, I am hoping that Nikki Haley takes the time off that she needs to rest, relax, and enjoy her family, so that when she is called upon to serve her country again in the near future, she will be able to do so to the fullest extent of her capabilities. We need her. And if this was a sample of what we could expect from a future presidential candidate Nikki Haley, I’m in.

Featured image: Ambassador Nikki Haley at the Al Smith charity dinner (screenshot via CNN on YouTube)