Donald Trump on Saturday ruled out the possibility of recalling his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the United States ambassador to the UN under his mandate, Nikki Haley, to be part of the government he must form after his swearing in in the White House.
• Also read: Surprise return of Trump: “We don’t know the Americans well,” notes Jean Charest
• Also read: Deadlines for trial against Trump over 2020 election canceled
• Also read: Who is Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s new chief of staff?
“I will not invite former Ambassador Nikki Haley or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the Trump administration, which is still being formed,” the president-elect wrote in his Truth Social network.
“I really enjoyed working with them in the past and I would like to thank them for the service they have provided to our country,” added the Republican billionaire, matching his message with his slogan Make America Great Again.
The names of the two leading figures of the first Trump administration (2017-2021) have been circulating since the latter’s election during the ballot held on Tuesday.
Mike Pompeo, former director of the CIA, was notably tipped to take the helm of the Pentagon.
AFP
This “hawk” from the right wing of the Republican Party had quickly won the trust of an inexperienced president on the international scene, while taking care not to overshadow him. He notably supported the withdrawal from the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement and the unexpected rapprochement with North Korea.
In July, he unveiled a plan for Ukraine that was the opposite of the arguments on which Donald Trump campaigned. This plan involved new arms transfers and sanctions against the Russian energy sector.
He was also recruited in July by the Japanese steel giant Nippon Steel to plead its case in the takeover of US Steel, which Donald Trump promised to oppose.
After carrying the voice of Donald Trump on the international stage for two years, Nikki Haley became the final obstacle between the ex-president and the Republican nomination by running in the primary, before giving up in March.
Getty Images via AFP
During her campaign, she played the card of change of style and generation, alerting public opinion to a risk of “chaos” in the case of a new Trump presidency. The assassination attempt against the candidate this summer having reshuffled the cards, she finally came to support him during the Republican Convention in mid-July in Milwaukee.
