US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would consider selecting Goldman Sachs executive and former White House adviser Dina Powell as the next US ambassador to the United Nations, shutting down speculation he would push his daughter Ivanka for the post.
In a surprising move announced from the Oval Office, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Tuesday she would resign at the end of the year.
“It's very important for government officials to understand when it's time to step aside,” she said after meeting with Trump, who praised her for doing a "fantastic job" and solving a "lot of problems.”
“We're all happy for you in one way, but we hate to lose you,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Haley told him six months ago she would resign at the end of 2018, adding that he expects to name a successor in the next few months.
"We are respected again, I can tell you," the US President said. "[North Korea] looked like a real problem. Iran looked like a real problem -- there was a question of when they would take over the Middle East. What a difference between now and then."
Haley’s announcement came 19 months after she was appointed to the UN post, and two weeks after the General Assembly meeting in New York.
"It was the honor of a lifetime," she said. "Look at the past two years. Look at what has happened with the United States. Countries may not like what we do, but they respect what we do.”
Following Tuesday’s announcement, Trump spoke to reporters at the White House before departing for an event in Iowa, and said Haley would help him make the final pick for her replacement.
Dina Powell, a Goldman Sachs executive, served in the first year of the Trump administration as the Deputy National Security Adviser for strategy, and was a key player in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East before resigning early last year.
Some circles had speculated Trump would tap his daughter Ivanka for the post.
However, the US President told reporters at the White House before embarking on Marine One that, while Ivanka would be incredible in the role, he would face accusations of nepotism if he selected her.
