Nikki Haley resigns as US Ambassador to the United Nations as Donald Trump praises Ivanka
DONALD Trump has endorsed his ‘incredible’ daughter Ivanka following the unexpected resignation of one of his top Cabinet members — but what does the First Daughter herself have to say about it?
DONALD Trump has said his daughter Ivanka would be “incredible” and “dynamite” as US ambassador to the United Nations after Nikki Haley stepped down.
Trump accepted Ms Haley’s shock resignation overnight and said she will leave at the end of the year.
“I’ve heard a lot of names. I’ve heard Ivanka. How good would Ivanka be?” Trump said as he took questions from reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.
“I think Ivanka would be incredible, but it doesn’t mean I’d pick her because I’d be accused of nepotism even though I’m not sure there’s anybody more competent in the world.”
But the First Daughter was quick to reject the idea, sharing her thoughts on Twitter:
It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
Meanwhile, Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne has paid tribute to the “highly capable, extremely impressive” Ms Haley.
“I think she leaves a very robust period as United States’ ambassador to the United Nations, and I’m sure she has made a very significant impression,” Senator Payne told ABC radio.
In a joint press conference with Mr Trump, Ms Haley said she was not leaving because she had disagreements with the Trump Administrations or for personal reasons.
Speculation is mounting she stepped down to challenge Trump in the 2020 US election, however Ms Haley laughed it off.
“I think it is important for government officials to know when to step aside,” she said. “You need to be selfless enough to know when to step aside.
“No, I’m not running in 2020,” she joked. “I look forward to supporting the president in the next election.”
Mr Trump announced the departure from the Oval Office, where he said Ms Haley “has been very special to me” and “is a fantastic person”.
“She’s done a fantastic job, and we’ve done a fantastic job together,” he said, citing the progress toward a nuclear deal with North Korea. “We’re all happy for you in one way, but we hate to lose you.”
“I think she’s helped make it a much better position, if you want to know the truth,” he said. “I wonder why, but it is. I mean, she’s made it a more glamorous position. She’s made it a more important — more importantly, a more important position.”
Ms Haley heaped praise on Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“Jared is such a hidden genius that no one understands,” she said. “And Ivanka has been such a great friend. They do a lot of things behind the scenes that I wish more people knew about.”
Ambassador Haley has served America with dignity + distinction.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
She is a bold reformer and has been an unwavering champion of truth, principled realism and integrity within the United Nations.
Jared and I are grateful for her friendship — a true blessing in our lives! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/sidkwXzPZB
Ms Haley, the former Republican governor of South Carolina, reportedly discussed her resignation with Mr Trump during a White House visit last week
She joined the Trump administration in January 2017.
Ms Haley was appointed to the UN post in November 2016 and last month co-ordinated Mr Trump’s second trip to the United Nations, including his first time chairing the UN Security Council.
Before she was named by Mr Trump to her UN post, Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina. She was re-elected in 2014.
At the UN, Ms Haley helped spearhead the Trump administration’s efforts to combat what it alleged to be anti-American and anti-Israel actions by the international body.
Mr Trump said he was considering many candidates for Ms Haley’s job and that a successor would be named in two to three weeks.
Last month Ms Haley wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post discussing her policy disagreements but also her pride in working for Mr Trump.
“I proudly serve in this administration, and I enthusiastically support most of its decisions and the direction it is taking the country,” Ms Haley wrote. “But I don’t agree with the president on everything.”
That piece came in response to an anonymous New York Times opinion piece in which the author said they were part of the resistance within the Trump Administration working against the US president. Ms Haley was forced to admit that she didn’t write the piece.
She was also outspoken in favour of Christine Blasey Ford after the professor levelled sexual abuse allegations against Mr Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh.
“It turns my stomach. It really turns my stomach. I mean, Ms Ford needs to be heard, but Brett Kavanaugh needs to be heard and the Senate has a responsibility here,” Ms Haley said. “They have to lead, they have to make sure it’s fair, they have to make sure it’s responsible and they have got to take the politics out of this situation.”
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Ms Haley clashed with then-candidate Trump during the 2016 campaign, denouncing “the siren call of the angriest voices” who disrespected America’s immigrants.
Mr Trump tweeted that “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley.”
As governor, she developed a national reputation as a racial conciliator who led the charge to bring down the Confederate flag at the Statehouse and helped guide the state through one of its darkest moments, the massacre at a black church.
Interestingly within hours of the announcement, Ms Haley wiped her Twitter handle of any mention of the UN or the Trump Administration despite the fact she will stay on in her role until the end of the year.
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