Trump says Haley, Pompeo will not join his new administration

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said that former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not be asked to join his administration.

This is according to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

"I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation," Trump posted on social media. "I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our country."

Trump is meeting with potential candidates to serve in his administration before his January 20 inauguration as president. Reuters reported Friday that Trump met with prominent investor Scott Bessent, who is a potential U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, endorsed Trump for president despite having criticized him harshly when she ran against him in the party primaries.

Pompeo, who also served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Trump, has been mentioned in some media reports as a possible defense secretary and had been also seen a potential Republican presidential candidate, before he announced in April 2023 he would not run.

Before the presidential election, Pompeo spoke out against the restrictions imposed by the U.S. and other allies on Ukraine's use of long-range Western weapons.

In a column for the Wall Street Journal, Pompeo published "A Trump Peace Plan for Ukraine" regarding peace in Ukraine and the terms of an agreement with Russia. The plan provides that Ukraine builds up substantial defense forces so Russia never attacks again; no one recognizes Russia's occupation and claimed annexation of any Ukrainian territories; Crimea is demilitarized; Ukraine rebuilds with reparations from Russia's frozen central-bank reserves, not U.S. taxpayer dollars; Ukraine joins NATO as soon as possible so all European allies assume the burden of protecting it; the European Union swiftly admits Ukraine and helps it modernize and develop its economy.

Pompeo also proposed lifting sanctions from Russia once Putin fulfills these conditions, when Ukraine is in both NATO and the EU. NATO should establish a $100 billion fund for arming Ukraine, with the U.S. share capped at 20%, as is the case with other alliance common budgets, Pompeo said.