Nikki Haley is resigning her role as the United States’ United Nations Ambassador at the end of this year, news that surprised many in the foreign policy community, and even advisers within President Donald Trump’s White House.
On Tuesday, following a press conference in which the news was announced, Trump spoke with reporters and said that Haley will help with the selection process for her replacement, as well as with his 2020 reelection campaign, and noted that he and former governor of South Carolina have become “real friends.” It isn’t yet clear why Haley resigned.
Perhaps most surprising—or maybe not surprising at all, given Trump’s tendency to appoint the people closest to him to major roles within his administration—was his mention his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, as a possible Haley replacement.
“There’s nothing to do with nepotism, but I want to tell you, the people that know, know that Ivanka would be dynamite,” he said of the possibility of appointing his daughter to the ambassadorship.
Ivanka Trump may have more time on her hands since shuttering her eponymous fashion brand earlier this year. But it isn’t clear why, based on her credentials, the First Daughter and Senior Advisor to the president would be mentioned as a possible replacement for Haley. Ivanka Trump does not have any diplomatic experience. Like her father, she made her U.N. debut in 2017, attending a series of meetings and events related to her West Wing portfolio.
Indeed, shortly after the President’s statement, the First Daughter weighed in on Twitter, saying it is an honor to work in the White House, but she has no plans to replace Ambassador Haley.
It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
Haley will stay in her post until the end of 2018.
