Nikki Haley says she is 'not running' for president in 2020
Pundits often wonder whether United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is planning a bid for president in 2020, but she said on Tuesday that she is "not running."
Haley and President Trump announced that she would be leaving her post at "the end of the year." In a statement in the Oval Office, Haley shot down rumors that she would challenge Trump's re-election bid and said she would campaign for him in 2020. She called it the "honor of a lifetime" to serve as his U.N. ambassador.
Trump praised Haley, calling her "fantastic" and said that she had expressed six months ago that she would want to "take a break" after two years in the administration. The president told Haley if she wanted to return to his Cabinet, "you can have your pick" of jobs. Though Trump apparently knew of her imminent departure, other top officials were reportedly caught off guard. Chief of Staff John Kelly and Vice President Mike Pence were blindsided, Bloomberg reported.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Nothing is set" in Haley's future, she said, but she felt it was "time to step aside" and "rotate in" someone new who can add fresh energy to the administration. Who that might be remains unclear — Trump said a "number of people" would "like to do this," especially since he said Haley made the job seem more "glamorous." A new ambassador would be announced in the next two or three weeks, said Trump, "maybe sooner."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Russia’s ‘weird’ campaign to boost its birth rateUnder the Radar Demographic crisis spurs lawmakers to take increasingly desperate measures
-
Could smaller cars bring down vehicle prices?Today’s Big Question Trump seems to think so, but experts aren’t so sure
-
2025’s most notable new albumsThe Week Recommends These were some of the finest releases of the past year
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
