Why has Trump’s UN star resigned?
HE fired his first Secretary of State on Twitter and sacked the former FBI director on Tv.
But yesterday Donald Trump could only sing the praises of his UN ambassador as she announced she was resigning.
At a special press conference in the Oval Office, the US President shook ‘fantastic’ Nikki Haley’s hand and patted her on the back as he said she had ‘made the job more glamorous’.
Miss Haley, a mother of two, is the most prominent woman in the Trump cabinet and her resignation – which reportedly surprised many of the cabinet – raised questions about why she went public now.
The midterm elections are less than a month away and Mr Trump is on a high after getting Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Miss Haley – the daughter of Indian immigrants – is one of only six women in a cabinet-level position and there was speculation on Capitol Hill her replacement may be Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka or his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are both his advisers.
Mr Trump said Miss Haley had told him six months ago she wanted to step down later this year. He said: ‘We’re all happy for you in one way but we hate to lose...I hope you’ll be coming back in a different capac- ity, you can have your pick.’ Miss Haley, 46, said she needed time off because she had been governor of South Carolina for six years prior to her current job and believed in ‘term limits’.
She said: ‘It was a blessing to go into the UN with body armour every day and defend America.’ She said her successes included the rejection of the Iran nuclear deal and moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. She tried to quash speculation she would run against Mr Trump in 2020 and said she would campaign for him.
But Andrew Bauer, a former Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, who ran against Miss Haley in the past, said ‘I’m not buying it’. He described her as ‘one of the most calculating’ politicians he had ever met.
Mr Bauer said: ‘It doesn’t add up. Nikki Haley loves being in public office, she’s a bright shining star of the republican party and could very well be the next president.’