Nikki Haley told a senior member of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team that she didn’t want a spot in his Cabinet, she said Wednesday.
Speaking on her Sirius XM radio show, Nikki Haley Live, the former U.N. ambassador under Trump said that Steve Witkoff, incoming special envoy to the Middle East and Trump confidant, told her he wanted to put the drama between the two in the past.
“I told him at the time, there was no truce needed, that I had — that Trump had my support, there was no issues on my end,” she said.
“And to that point, he was like, ‘What do you want? Tell me what you want. Is there anything you want?’ And I said, ‘There’s nothing I want.’ And there wasn’t anything I wanted,” Haley said.
The declaration of support from Haley was not always a guarantee. After Trump took the vote for the Republican nomination, some were skeptical if she would endorse him or not. It was only after Haley gave a speech at the Republican National Convention in July giving Trump her “strong endorsement” that she was seen as a reliable ally for the Republican ticket’s success.
Despite her endorsement, Haley has repeatedly said she does not want to serve in the Trump administration, commenting in the podcast episode, “Basically four times between July and Election Day, I had said that because I meant it.”
“I had no interest in being in [Trump’s] Cabinet. He knew that,” Haley said.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, prior to Haley’s podcast episode, Trump posted to Truth Social that Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not be part of his administration.
“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,” the president-elect wrote. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Haley also said on the podcast that she spoke directly with Trump transition director Howard Lutnick, giving her opinion on who should be selected to fill such vital roles.
Out of Trump’s 26 administrative positions, 12 staunchly loyal politicians have been chosen and announced, leaving 14 more job openings to be filled by the Trump transition team. With Haley providing advice on the next picks, some wonder if more moderate Cabinet picks might show up in the future or if the pattern of MAGA loyalists will continue as the Cabinet fills up.
