Trump said he would not invite his former rival Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the new US administration when he begins his second term.
Announcing on the social network Truth Social and Facebook on November 9, local time, Trump said he “very much enjoyed and appreciated” working with Ms. Haley and Mr. Pompeo before, but did not want them to join the new administration.
“I will not invite former Ambassador Nikki Haley or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the Trump administration, which is currently in the process of being formed. I enjoyed and appreciated working with them before and want to thank them for their service to our country. Let’s make America great again!”, President-elect Donald Trump wrote.
Ms. Haley, who served as the US ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, has been facing off against her former boss in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
She angered the former president before dropping out, but later endorsed him at the Republican National Convention in July. Trump has publicly called for party unity, but some sources say he still harbors resentment toward Haley, according to CNN.
Pompeo, meanwhile, has considered running in 2024 but has never formally challenged Trump. Many people close to Trump say Pompeo did a good job as secretary of state during Trump’s first term.
But Trump and Pompeo’s relationship has deteriorated in the years since his term. Pompeo appeared to criticize his former boss in a speech last year when he urged Republican voters to stay away from “celebrity leaders” with “fragile egos.”
In recent days as he prepares for his new administration, Trump has questioned Pompeo’s loyalty and whether he can be trusted to carry out his agenda, sources told CNN.
According to Reuters, Trump is meeting with potential candidates to form his new administration ahead of his inauguration on January 20. This weekend, he met with prominent investor Scott Bessent, who is a possible nominee for Treasury secretary.
During his first term, Trump has also made several important personnel announcements on social media.
