President Donald Trump says he has been speaking to one of his former advisers, Dina Powell, about the possibility of succeeding Nikki Haley as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and he plans to speak with others about the post.
At the White House on Wednesday, Trump said Powell is one of many people being considered.
Haley announced on Tuesday that she is stepping down as U.N. ambassador and would vacate the post by the end of the year.
“It has been an honor of a lifetime,” Haley said, sitting alongside Trump in the Oval Office where they announced her pending departure Tuesday.
The former governor of the state of South Carolina has been seen by some as a relatively moderate voice in Trump’s Cabinet.
Her appointment as ambassador to the U.N. was seen as a surprise because she had been viewed as a critic of Trump’s confrontational style during the 2016 presidential campaign, as well as a proponent of free markets and global trade, in contrast to the president’s “America First” policies.
The 46-year-old Haley, whose parents emigrated from India, is one of six women in Trump’s Cabinet and is regarded as a potential future Republican Party presidential contender.
“No, I’m not running for 2020,” Haley said, adding she would be campaigning for Trump’s re-election in the next presidential election.
Steve Herman contributed to this report.
…
