President Trump announced today that Mike Pompeo or former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will not be joining his administration
President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during his first term and recently ran against him for the Republican nomination, will not be joining his upcoming administration. Trump also announced that Mike Pompeo, his former secretary of state and CIA director, will not return to his Cabinet.
"I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation," Trump wrote. "I greatly valued working with them before and appreciate their service to our country."
This follows earlier speculation, according to sources who told CBS News, that Pompeo, 60, was being considered as a candidate for secretary of defense.
Haley, 52, served as governor of South Carolina and initially ran for the Republican nomination in 2016 before endorsing Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida after ending her campaign. Trump later appointed her as U.N. ambassador, where she served until resigning in 2018. At the time, Trump praised her as "very special," suggesting she might return to his administration.
While Haley did not run in 2020, she entered the 2024 race against Trump, suspending her campaign after Super Tuesday in March. She later endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, delivering a speech in Milwaukee at Trump’s invitation to show party unity.
In a September interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation," Haley said, "I don't agree with Trump 100% of the time," adding that despite her differences with him, she supported policies that emphasized strong immigration, law and order, economic opportunity, and national security.
Pompeo, who served all four years of Trump’s first term, also endorsed Trump at the convention but opted not to run for the 2024 nomination.
On Friday, Trump named his campaign co-chair, Susie Wiles, as White House chief of staff, making her the first woman to hold the position, in the first major staffing decision since his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.