On the evening of November 9th, President-elect Trump announced on the social platform Truth Social that he would not be inviting former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join his new administration. In his post, Trump expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with them in the past and thanked them for their contributions to the country.
Nikki Haley was one of Trump’s primary rivals in the Republican primaries earlier this year. Despite previous sharp criticisms of Trump, she publicly endorsed him on the eve of the election, describing supporting Trump as a “simple choice.”
Last week, Haley wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal supporting Trump’s presidential campaign. She mentioned in the article, “While I don’t agree with Mr. Trump’s opinions one hundred percent of the time, most of the time I do agree with his views. And I almost never agree with Mrs. Harris’s opinions.”
Mike Pompeo had considered running for president but ultimately chose not to compete with Trump. Despite not being a fervent supporter of Trump, he has expressed support for him in the past.
In October of this year, Pompeo signed a public letter, along with over 400 officials in national security, foreign policy, and families of fallen soldiers, supporting Trump’s presidential campaign. The letter stated, “Under President Trump’s leadership, there is world peace; however, under the Biden-Harris administration, we are closer to World War III than ever before. Wars around the world continue to escalate, open borders allow terrorists free reign, and evil forces such as the CCP act with impunity.”
Last week, media outlets like Reuters cited sources from the Trump team, saying Pompeo was likely to re-enter the Cabinet as Secretary of Defense. During his victory speech last Wednesday, Trump also mentioned and praised Pompeo.
Political news site Politico pointed out that Trump’s statement underscores the importance of loyalty in his personnel appointments within his government.
On Saturday, Trump also announced the formation of an inaugural committee and appointed two friends as co-chairs. According to the Associated Press, Trump appointed Florida real estate investor Steven Witkoff and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler as co-chairs of the inaugural committee, referring to them as “longtime friends and supporters.”
In a press release, Trump stated, “This will be the beginning of my government’s administration, fulfilling the bold promises to make America great again.”
Witkoff is Trump’s golfing partner, and in September, when the former president faced an attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Witkoff was also present.