Seated next to President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Nikki Haley did not look like a woman who had tortured herself over whether to resign as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
On television at least, she looked like someone who has a much better deal coming her way early next year. She looked like someone who has enjoyed 14 solid years of successful public life, first as South Carolina state legislator, then as governor and, currently, as a national representative on the international stage. She looked like a woman who, at just 46, sees rainbows and jackpots in her future.
As Haley and Trump announced, she’ll leave the U.N. at the end of this year, but she’s not going anywhere — for long. Haley has long been considered a likely presidential candidate. But not before 2024. In her resignation letter, Haley explicitly said she “surely will not be a candidate for any office in 2020.” Too bad. It would be such a nice round number for the nation’s first female president.
Most likely, Haley is pausing to make some money. In her statement, she suggested an imminent return to the private sector. She and her husband have accrued considerable debt, according to the Charleston Post & Courier. Also, her parents’ home reportedly is in foreclosure. With her intimate knowledge of international trade, politics and relationships, Haley could pick her job — and name her salary — at any of several top-notch consulting firms. She might even make an excellent get for the Trump Organization, which would make some sense of her effusive praise for Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Melania Trump during her Tuesday remarks.