South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican who “lacks obvious foreign policy experience,” is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations—a decision that carries the added perk of elevating early Trump supporter and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster.
Haley clashed with Trump during the presidential primary, endorsing his GOP rival Marco Rubio and delivering a State of the Union response that not-so-subtly jabbed at Trump’s campaign rhetoric. Trump tweeted on March 1, “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!” to which Haley responded: “@realDonaldTrump, Bless your heart.”
But with Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, all that appears to be water under the bridge. “Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country,” Trump said in a press release. “She is also a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage.”
“Nikki Haley goes to the UN, Trump looks like a unifier… and a Trump loyalist is appointed South Carolina Gov. Focus on the big picture.”
—@kyleraccio, Twitter
However, wrote South Carolina’s Post and Courier, her planned nomination—which must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate—”is likely to raise questions about Haley’s qualifications for a major foreign policy role since she has little diplomatic experience as state lawmaker and governor.”
Indeed, “Haley’s qualifications for the job are thin,” argued Margaret Hartmann at New York magazine. “She worked on trade and labor issues during her six years as governor, but her foreign policy experience is confined to eight trips to foreign nations to discuss economic-development opportunities in her state.”
Politico added, “little is known about her stance on contentious topics such as how to end the war in Syria. Like other Republicans, Haley opposed the Iran nuclear deal, which is widely supported by most of the international community.”
The outlet further reported:
And ThinkProgress noted that “Haley appears worryingly, if not surprisingly, out of step with the international community when it comes to climate change. Most of the world has recognized that anthropogenic climate change is an existential threat to humanity, and the U.N. has become a major framework for addressing greenhouse gas emissions.”
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT