Trump apparently kept Nikki Haley's resignation letter secret for a week


U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley shocked everyone on Tuesday — reportedly even top White House officials — when she revealed she was resigning. Even more surprising? President Trump may have kept Haley's resignation letter under wraps for nearly a week.
Haley confirmed her departure alongside Trump in a public Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, shortly after Axios reported she'd be leaving. It was an unexpected move for one of the more popular members of Trump's Cabinet, especially since rumors of administration resignations often swirl long before they actually happen.
Yet in the meeting, Trump said Haley told him six months ago she'd like to "take a break" at the end of the year. And Haley's resignation latter, later published by The Washington Post, is dated Oct. 3. In a White House known for leaks, "that is an eternity to keep [something] secret," Saagar Enjeti, a writer for the conservative website The Daily Caller, pointed out. Oct. 3 is also the same day Trump and Haley last met in the Oval Office.
Subscribe to 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.
The letter also reaffirms one highlight of Haley's Tuesday announcement: that she won't run for president in 2020. Haley repeatedly writes that she will "become a private citizen" following her resignation, though she will "continue to speak out from time to time on important public policy matters." She then goes on to liken her resignation to a "term limit" in the letter, saying "rotation in office benefits the public," and confirms she will serve until the beginning of next year.
Read the whole letter below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
'Physicians today have a number of ways of categorizing pain'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hotel Giardino Ascona: a glorious garden retreat on Lake Maggiore
The Week Recommends Skip over the border from Lake Como for a boutique stay on the shores of Switzerland's less-crowded alternative
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims