NEW YORK – U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley shot down rumors on Thursday about her wanting to become secretary of state if Rex Tillerson exits the top diplomatic post.
Asked by a reporter if she aspires to fill the Cabinet position, Haley said bluntly: “No, I do not.”
The former South Carolina governor said she has always faced “chatter” about her political aspirations and the current speculation is nothing new, nor will it impact her job.
“What I’m trying to do is do a good job and I’m trying to be responsible in my job,” Haley said. “I’m trying to inform the American people on everything I know.”
Haley, who was offered the position of secretary of state during the presidential transition, told CNN earlier this month that she initially turned down the position because she thought President Trump “could find someone better.”
“I said, ‘I am a policy girl, I want to be part of the decision-making process,'” she said of her conversation with the president. “He said, ‘Done.'”
Haley also told CNN that Trump gave her permission to “be able to speak my mind” in her role as ambassador to the U.N.
Tillerson came under fire earlier this month for distancing himself from Trump after the president stirred controversy with his response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
