President-elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has said former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley and the ex-Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, will not be part of his new 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. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our country, “Mr Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Mr Trump’s announcement follows days of meetings with his transition team, which has already begun planning for his first cabinet.
Both Mr Pompeo and Ms Haley have yet to respond to Mr Trump’s statement. The duo publicly supported U.S. backing of Ukraine which runs contrary to Mr Trump’s stance.
It also reflects Mr Trump’s relationship with the two prominent Republicans, who have criticised him in recent years.
In 2022, Mr Pompeo spoke out against Mr Trump’s handling of classified documents following the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence.
“No one gets to keep classified information outside of a place classified information should be,” he said, while also criticising the Justice Department’s handling of the case.
Meanwhile, Ms Haley, who was Mr Trump’s last major rival to exit the Republican presidential race, had been critical of his campaign rhetoric.
Just days before the election, she suggested that Mr Trump’s tone was alienating women and minorities, pointing to controversial remarks made at a Trump rally in New York.
“This bromance and this masculinity stuff, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable,” Ms Halley said.
Mr Trump’s decision to exclude both Mr Pompeo and Ms Haley from his cabinet comes after Mr Trump announced the appointment of Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff.
