Who Will Join Trump's Next Administration?
President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo will not be joining his administration. Haley served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during Trump's first term and ran against him for the Republican nomination in 2024. Pompeo served as both secretary of state and CIA director in Trump's first term.
Trump stated that he enjoyed working with both Haley and Pompeo and thanked them for their service. However, he did not provide any specific reasons for their exclusion from his new administration.
This announcement comes after reports that Pompeo was being considered for the position of secretary of defense. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, ran for the Republican nomination in 2016 but endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida after dropping out. Trump later selected her to be his U.N. ambassador, a post she held until her resignation in 2018.
Haley did not run for president in 2020 but launched a 2024 bid against Trump. She suspended her campaign in March and endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention in July.
Pompeo also endorsed Trump at the RNC and served for all four years of the first Trump administration. He chose not to run against Trump in 2024.
Trump's first major White House staffing decision was the selection of Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff. Wiles served as Trump's campaign co-chair and is the first woman to hold the position of White House chief of staff.