Trump’s UN envoy Haley quits, denies 2020 bid
Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, resigned Tuesday, prompting speculation that she could be plotting a run on the White House to become America’s first female president in 2024.
Haley, 46, regarded as a star of the Trump administration for her unrelenting defence of the president’s America First policy on the world stage, unexpectedly announced her departure, catching cabinet colleagues and U.S. allies off guard.
The former governor of South Carolina immediately ruled out suggestions she could try to unseat Trump as the Republican presidential nominee in 2020. Appearing with Trump in the Oval Office, she said: “For all of you that are going to ask about 2020 — no, I’m not running for 2020. I can promise you what I’ll be doing is campaigning for this one (Trump).”
She said it had been the “honour of a lifetime” serving as ambassador to the UN, adding: “It was a blessing to go into the UN every day with body armour.”
Haley explained her decision by saying she had “long believed that rotation in office benefits the public.” There was “no personal reason,” she added.
She said: “I think you have to be selfless enough to know when it’s time to step aside. As a businessman I expect you (Trump) will appreciate my sense that returning from government to the private sector is not a step down, but a step up.”
A lucrative job in the private sector could be a big draw. According to Haley’s 2018 financial disclosures she has a mortgage of over US$1 million, and credit card debts of tens of thousands of dollars.
However, Brett Bruen, former White house global engagement director in the Obama administration, suggested her decision was a “political calculation” aimed at positioning herself for the White House in six years’ time.
He said: “She doesn’t want to be part of the administration after the midterms when Democrats could retake control of the House or the Senate.
“She is preparing her presidential campaign, she’s preparing to lay the ground, if not for 2020, then 2024.”
There have also been reports that Haley’s foreign policy role had become more limited since the appointment of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, and John Bolton as national security adviser. Both men were reportedly surprised by her departure.