Trump rules out top jobs for Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo

 

Mike Pompeo (left) and Nikki Haley

US President-elect Donald Trump has said he will not offer Nikki Haley or Mike Pompeo jobs in his administration, as he assembles his cabinet following a resounding election victory over Vice-President Kamala Harris.

"I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our country," he wrote in a social media post.

Trump's closest allies have accused Haley and Pompeo of being so-called deep state moles, arguing they would plot to undermine his 'America First' agenda.

As he lays the groundwork for his inauguration on 20 January, Trump will meet outgoing President Joe Biden in the coming days.

Haley was Trump’s most durable challenger from a crowded field of contenders during the Republican primaries earlier this year, when the party’s voters were deciding who would be their White House standard-bearer.

During the race, former South Carolina Governor Haley strongly criticised her former boss - at one point calling him "unhinged".

Trump ultimately prevailed. Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador during his first presidency from 2017-21, eventually endorsed him - though he did not call on her to help him campaign on the final stretch of this election.

While it is little surprise that Haley did not make the shortlist for a role, former CIA director Pompeo had been widely tipped as a contender for secretary of defence.

The former Kansas congressman led Trump's diplomatic blitz in the Middle East and often tangled with the press in defence of his boss.

But influential voices within the Trump-world have been lobbying against Pompeo and Haley.

They include veteran political strategist Roger Stone, who wrote on his website on Friday that Trump ought to beware of “neocons” who might form "a sinister fifth column” within his new administration. Stone singled out Haley and Pompeo.

Also on Saturday, the Trump campaign announced that the Presidential Inaugural Committee will be chaired by two long-time Trump allies: Steve Witkoff, a real estate investor, and Kelly Loeffler, a former senator for the state of Georgia.