President-elect Donald Trump has asked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in his new administration.
Haley has already accepted the offer, reports The Washington Post. The president-elect’s transition team is expected to formally announce the decision Wednesday morning, which was first reported by The Post and Courier.
The 44-year-old has been the governor of South Carolina since 2011, where she has focused on labor and trade. She drew national attention for her response to the Charleston church shooting in 2015, when she called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the grounds of the state capitol, and has had a quick rise in the Republican Party.
Her relatively limited foreign policy experience consists primarily of negotiating with international businesses considering economic development deals in the state, and her work leading a number of overseas trade missions.
Haley endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio early on in the Republican primary, and was sharply critical of Trump, calling his proposal for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants entering the United States “un-American.” But when she met with Trump last week, Haley said she considers him a friend despite her criticism.
“He was a friend and supporter before he ran for president, and was kind to me then,” she told reporters. “But when I see something I am uncomfortable with, I say it.”
The move is part of a reported effort inside Trump’s transition team to diversify his cabinet. Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and the first woman to be offered a cabinet position in the new administration.
If confirmed by the Senate, she will be replaced by South Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Henry McMaste, who is a Trump ally.
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