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| Zach Gibson / Bloomberg / Getty Images |
On Tuesday, the White House announced that Nikki Haley, the current U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the former governor of South Carolina, has resigned and will leave the administration at the turn of the new year. Haley informed President Donald Trump of her decision about six months ago according to the president, though many White House senior officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were caught by surprise (CNN). According to her resignation letter, Haley chose to step down due to fatigue from serving in public office and does not intend to run for office in 2020, opting instead to become a private citizen. Haley joins the 35 former White House and cabinet-level officials that have either resigned or been fired since the inauguration of President Trump in January 2017, though Haley left on good terms with the administration with Trump stating, “[s]he's done a fantastic job and we've done a fantastic job together” (CNN).
Haley is a significant departure for a few reasons. First, throughout her tenure, Haley was viewed more positively than her peers. She was a woman with Indian heritage in a mostly white male administration, had a reputation as a moderate in a White House that once contained Steve Bannon, and previously helped remove the Confederate battle flag from South Carolina’s State House while her coworkers face accusations of racism. In fact, according to a Quinnipiac poll from April of this year, her approval rating stood at 55% -- among Democrats. Her overall approval rating was high as well at 63%. Second, she consistently supported the president and even sat with him when her resignation was officially announced. Given her post and respected status as a public figure, chances are she increased the credibility of the administration domestically and internationally, and the successor Trump appoints will undoubtedly face a larger amount of scrutiny; Haley was confirmed by the Senate by a count of 96-4.
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2 comments:
She says that she's not intent on running for president, but I've heard some news commentators such as the Young Turks speculate that she may still be intending to do so. Her official letter of resignation doesn't mean much since people usually wait until near the election to declare that they're running, to avoid having to conform to campaign finance laws.
Either way, this just goes to show how the Trump administration can't maintain any sort of decent staff.
Although Nikki Haley leaving her post as the US ambassador to the UN is saddening, it is important to note that it was her decision to leave. Haley has been very supportive of the administration and even stood by Trump to discuss international policy issues that still face the US today. Her departure puzzles me, but I do have an idea as to why she might want to leave. She either believes her career in international relations is done, or she has grown more weary of the administration as a whole. I do agree it would be hard to replicate such a person with much respect within the international community, and certainly hard to appoint someone that will accurately represent the US. Haley’s approval rate was beyond supportive and it is important that Trump brings in an equally approved ambassador to accurately represent the people of the US in the UN.
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