Donald Trump has accepted the resignation of UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
During an Oval Office meeting, Trump confirmed that she would leave at the end of the year saying she wants to “take a break” from public service.
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Trump also said that Haley had informed him about her intentions six months ago.
Haley said she had no immediate plans and denied that she would be running for president in 2020.
Press TV reports: He praised her as having done an incredible job and expressed hopes that she would come back to the administration in another capacity.
“She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together. We’ve solved a lot of problems and we’re in the process of solving a lot of problems,” Trump said.
“She told me probably six months ago, ‘You know maybe at end of the year — at the end of the two year period — but by the end of the year I want to take a little time off, I want to take a break,'” he added. He said together they had “solved a lot of problems.”
“We’re all happy for you in one way, but we hate to lose — hopefully you’ll be coming back at some point but in a different capacity. You can have your pick,” Trump said.
The news was first reported by Axios news site which cited two sources familiar with the matter.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor and rising Republican star, was one of the first members of President Trump’s cabinet, confirmed four days after his inauguration.
“This comes at as surprise. Ambassador Haley has been a very strong and effective advocate for the US. She and SG have a had a very strong working relationship which has avoided what could have been a breakdown of the US/U.N. relationship,” one senior diplomat told CNN.
Read Nikki Haley’s resignation letter below:
Both Trump and Haley tried to describe her departure on friendly terms, but there has been friction between the two going back to the 2016 presidential campaign.
Niamh Harris