US President Donald Trump says his daughter Ivanka would be “incredible” as an ambassador to the United Nations if he appointed her to replace outgoing Ambassador Nikki Haley, but he would face accusations of nepotism.
“I want to tell you, the people… know that Ivanka would be dynamite. But, you know, I’d then be accused of nepotism, if you can believe it,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to depart the White House for a campaign rally in Iowa on Tuesday.
“I think Ivanka would be incredible,” he said. “You’d be accused of nepotism, even though I’m not sure there’s anybody more competent in the world.”
Sitting with Haley in the Oval Office of the White House earlier in the day, Trump confirmed that she would leave at the end of the year, saying she wants to “take a break” from public service.
The US president said Haley informed him about her intentions six months ago, adding that the outgoing ambassador would help him make the final pick for her replacement.
Trump said he was considering several candidates for Haley’s job and that the next US ambassador would be named in two or three weeks.
Before departing the White House for Iowa, Trump said he was looking at Dina Powell to succeed Haley.Powell previously served as the US president’s deputy national security adviser and focused on Middle East policy, but left the administration at the beginning of this year.
CNN once called her “Ivanka Trump’s woman in the White House.”
Ivanka shuts down speculation she will replace Haley
Ivanka ruled out the possibility of replacing Haley shortly after Trump spoke about potential candidates on Tuesday.
“I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me,” the president’s oldest daughter and senior adviser wrote in a tweet.
Ivanka worked for her billionaire father’s company before Trump was elected president and is now an unpaid White House adviser. Her 36-year-old husband, Jared Kushner, is a real estate developer from New York and was also appointed as a senior White House adviser by the president. Neither have had previous government experience.
Ivanka and Jared have been accused in the US of benefiting from nepotism. – Press TV.
