Axios’ Jonathan Swan is reporting this morning the UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is resigning from her post after a contentious tenure there that often found her at odds with Trump policy, or left explaining something that Trump said or did that even she may not have fully understood.
In standard form, Trump heralded a “big announcement” on his Twitter feed:
Big announcement with my friend Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Oval Office at 10:30am.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2018
His press secretary sounded a similar bell:
President Trump and Ambassador Nikki Haley will meet in the Oval Office at 10:30am this morning. This event will be open to the pool.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 9, 2018
The report did not outline exactly when she would leave the position, although the announcement from the pair at the Oval Office indicated “the end of the year.” But many have seen this as a long time coming. Haley has publicly disagreed with Trump on a number of occasions, and is likely to seek higher office herself at some point in the future — and it’s not hard to conclude that being attached to the Trump administration could be politically toxic going forward.
Officials in the West Wing were said to be shocked at the resignation, but Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, may just be following the career path she believes she has ahead of her.
The event was open to the White House press pool. Trump told reporters that he hoped Haley would be back in some capacity to work with his administration again, and that she had merely expressed a desire for “some time off.”
I personally have never quit a job because I needed time off, but maybe that’s just me.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
