Nikki Haley resigns as ambassador to the United Nations

In the early days of October 2018, Nikki Haley publicly resigned as the United States U.N. ambassador. Haley is currently one of President Trump’s most valued and high-profile women in his administration, and her departure at the end of this year has sparked questions regarding her own political agenda.

Many speculate that she plans to run as a GOP candidate in the 2020 election. Although she refutes any claims regarding a future seat in the highest office, polls show that if she were to race against her former boss Donald Trump, she would be a strong competitor in the Republican presidential primary.

Politicians across the nation responded to the news of Nikki Haley’s upcoming departure. Current South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster took to twitter to voice his support for his predecessor; saying, “[Nikki Haley] is a tremendous leader who has done great things for South Carolina as governor and for the US as ambassador to the U.N. I wish her the best in whatever she decides to do next.”

Although critical of Trump in the 2016 presidential election, Haley has since built a respectful relationship him. Trump stated, “She’s done an incredible job. She’s a fantastic person, very importantly. But she also is somebody that gets it, we’re all happy for [Haley] in one way, but we hate to lose you.” President Trump had stated that he favors a woman ambassador as Haley’s replacement; noting that he has about five people sized up for the position.

Haley had addressed the outpouring of concern that arose after her official resignation was made public; saying, “A lot of people are going to want to say there’s a lot of reasons why I’m leaving,” she added. “The truth is I want to make sure that this administration, this president, has the strongest person to fight.”

Haley not only created lasting relationships with her political counterparts but also with leaders and ambassadors from foreign countries. She frequently utilized her position to champion human rights while chastising Syria and Russia for killing large amounts of men, women, and children with chemical weapons and bombs. One of Haley’s most notable accomplishment as U.N. ambassador was her ability to push sanctions on North Korea through the U.N. Security Council in 2017.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Samantha Miller of Damascus High School