President-elect Donald Trump confirmed he will not offer administration roles to Nikki Haley or Mike Pompeo. This follows as Trump is assembling his Cabinet for a new term set to begin on January 20.
In a social media post, Trump thanked Haley and Pompeo for their previous service, saying that he would not place them on his team this time. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously and would like to thank them for their service to our country,” he said.
Reflecting some of the concerns raised by some of Donald Trump’s most vocal allies, Haley, a former United Nations ambassador, and Pompeo, his former secretary of state, have been accused of posing a threat to his “America First” agenda. Figures like Roger Stone, a longtime Trump strategist, have warned that “neocons” could form a “sinister fifth column” within Trump’s administration.
Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, was Trump’s chief antagonist in the recent Republican primaries, even calling him “unhinged” at one point. She did later endorse him when it became clear he would be the nominee. Pompeo, regarded by many as a likely candidate for secretary of defense, had run several of Trump’s signature foreign policy programs but ran into lobbying opposition from powerful Trump insiders.
Donald Trump is set to hold his first meeting with Joe Biden, the latter having emerged as president-elect in that rather contentious election. The White House said President-elect Biden will receive Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday, an over two-century-old sacrosanct tradition symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power.
Ahead of his investiture, Trump has nominated two long-time allies, Steve Witkoff and former Senator Kelly Loeffler, as chairs of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Even though the Republican Party has regained control over both the Senate and House of Representatives, President-elect Trump promises draconian policy shifts as a ploy to breathe life into his central agenda.
To Read More: Global