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Nikki Haley claims that she told a top official on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team that she didn’t want a position in his Cabinet.
On her Sirius XM radio show, “Nikki Haley Live,” the former U.N. ambassador under Trump said that Steve Witkoff, who is going to be Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, told her that he wanted a “truce” between the two Republicans.
“I told him at the time, there was no truce needed, that I had — that Trump had my support, there was no issues on my end,” Haley said, recalling the conversation she had with Witkoff.
“And to that point, he was like, ‘What do you want? Tell me what you want. Is there anything you want?’ And I said, ‘There’s nothing I want.’ And there wasn’t anything I wanted,” Haley added.
Haley’s proclamation of support wasn’t always a given. Some questioned whether or not she would support Trump when he won the Republican nominee. Haley wasn’t considered a trustworthy ally for the Republican ticket’s victory until she gave Trump her “strong endorsement” in a speech at the Republican National Convention in July.
Haley stated on the podcast episode, “Basically four times between July and Election Day, I had said that because I meant it,” in reference to her repeated statements that she did not want to serve in the Trump administration despite her endorsement.
“I had no interest in being in [Trump’s] Cabinet. He knew that,” Haley said.
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On Nov. 9, before Haley’s podcast episode, Trump posted to Truth Social that Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not be part of his administration.
“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” the president-elect wrote. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
On the podcast, Haley also stated that she had a direct conversation with Howard Lutnick, the director of the Trump transition, and shared her thoughts on who ought to be chosen for such important positions.
Twelve devoted lawmakers have been selected and appointed to Trump’s 26 administration posts, allowing the Trump transition team to fill the other 14 slots.
Some question whether the trend of MAGA adherents will continue as the Cabinet fills up or whether more moderate Cabinet appointments may appear in the future given Haley’s guidance on the next selections.
This comes after several big announcements this week.
Pro-Trump businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have officially joined Trump’s administration, according to a statement from the president-elect.
Trump announced in a statement on Tuesday that the two would jointly lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. Both Ramaswamy and Musk were vocal throughout Trump’s campaign about the need to reduce the size and power of the federal government.
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE],” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
‘DOGE’ is also a cryptocurrency that Musk has often promoted.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
The Department of Government Efficiency is not a new government agency. Trump said it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government” and “partner” with the White House and Office of Management and Budget to drive structural government reform, ABC News reported.
“‘This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!’ stated Mr. Musk,” the statement continued.
