Trump Taps Gov. Nikki Haley for Ambassador to UN

If Haley is confirmed by the Senate, she will be the first female and first non-white appointed to a cabinet-level position in the Trump administration.

“I congratulate her on her nomination and I look forward to working closely with her”, the Ambassador told reporters when asked if he had any concerns that Haley has pretty much zero foreign policy experience. If confirmed by the Senate, Haley would replace Samantha Power, who has represented the United States in the role since 2013. She also protested the resettlement of Syrian refugees in SC.

But he is regarded as a safe choice to steer USA foreign policy, unlike his rival for the job, former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose controversial business links with foreign countries mean Congress may refuse to confirm his appointment. She’s the daughter of Indian immigrants and is the second Asian-American to serve as a USA governor.

Cox Industries CEO Michael Johnson was a high school classmate of Haley, and said he has seen firsthand how hard she works and how fast she analyzes situations.

“Governor Haley is a strong supporter of the state of Israel”, Graham said. Graham is chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations, which is responsible for funding the United Nations and all American foreign assistance.

Haley said she would accept the position and that the country faces “enormous challenges” on the global stage.

Yet it could be an awkward role at times.

The first Hindu elected to Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, is also under consideration for a job in the Trump administration.

Haley would succeed Obama’s United Nations envoy, Samantha Power, in the high-profile position. It will also serve the objective of elevating Trump loyalist Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster to the Governor’s post.

Trump meanwhile is tapping another even more hardline critic, Mitt Romney, for the Secretary of State, despite the latter having calling him a fraud and a phony.

US President-elect Donald Trump offered a Thanksgiving prayer for unity after “a long and bruising” campaign season as his Cabinet began to take shape.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Israel, said the appointment would go a long way in “reassuring” Israel that the incoming administration will be on its side in global forums. Trump’s one-time presidential rival, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, appeared to be next in line for the nod – reportedly as housing secretary – after he posted on social media that an announcement was imminent. Just like Barack Obama’s house speaker Paul Ryan had mentioned, “If you want to hear an inclusive leader who is visionary, who’s got a path for the future, who has brought people together, who is unified, it’s Nikki Haley”. Trump wrote on Twitter in March.

Beyond that, Haley has made very few public comments on foreign policy ever, though she did say back in January that a Republican president “would make worldwide agreements that were celebrated in Israel and protested in Iran”.

“Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk”, she said in a follow up interview.

Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s critics in the past, praised the nomination and wrote, “Haley would be a strong voice for United Nations reform and stand for American interests throughout the world”. “I hope he continues to do that, and I hope he continues to be disciplined in his comments”.

Mr Trump has gathered with his family behind closed doors at his Palm Beach estate for Thanksgiving, spending the holiday there after a week of interviews of potential appointees in NY.

Injecting the first diversity into his Cabinet-to-be, Donald Trump has today selected two Republican women who had unflattering things to say about him during the presidential campaign.