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.
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in Fiji
Under the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies