United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley has abruptly resigned from the Trump administration, according to Axios. Haley, who spent late last month representing the U.S. at the U.N. General Assembly, reportedly discussed resigning last week with Trump.
Haley was confirmed shortly after Trump's inauguration in 2017 and has had one of the longest tenures in a White House fraught with high turnover. After the New York Times published an scathing "resistance" op-ed from an anonymous White House official, Haley hit back with an op-ed of her own in the Washington Post, saying, "I proudly serve in this administration, and I enthusiastically support most of its decisions and the direction it is taking the country. But I don’t agree with the president on everything."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Haley's resignation has came as a shock to some of colleagues, according to Axios. Shortly after the news broke, Trump said that Haley wanted to take a "break" and would be leaving at the end of the year. He also left the door open for Haley to com "back at any time." Trump also said that Haley had no plans to run for president and would be campaigning for him in 2020.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley is a former governor of South Carolina and had no foreign policy experience before assuming the role of U.N. ambassador but had been doing a steady and controversy-free job and was seen as an even-handed leader.
Trump said he will be nominating a replacement for Haley in two to three weeks.