Politics
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Dina Powell.
- White House officials believe Dina Powell will be the next UN ambassador should she want the job, the news website Axios reported.
- Powell is a former Trump administration official and a member of Goldman Sachs' management committee. She also worked in George W. Bush's state department.
- Powell served as Trump's deputy national security adviser for strategy during much of his first year as president.
- UN ambassador Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday that she is resigning and will step down from the role at the end of the year.
Senior White House officials reportedly believe Dina Powell, a former Trump administration official and a member of Goldman Sachs' management committee, will be offered the job of UN ambassador after current ambassador Nikki Haley announced that she will step down at the end of the year.
Axios reported on Wednesday that senior people in the White House believe Powell can have the job if she wants it. Powell was Haley's number one recommendation to succeed her, Axios reported.
A source close to Trump told Axios that Trump is a fan of Powell because she is "competent and qualified" and "Senate-confirmable because she runs in traditional Republican circles," but also because she is an immigrant and a woman.
Haley is currently one of the few women in senior positions in Trump's White House, and the GOP is currently unpopular with women voters.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images Dina Powell, then-Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy, stands beside President Donald Trump on White House grounds in September 2017.
Powell served as Trump's deputy national security adviser for strategy during much of his first year as president. She returned to Goldman Sachs as a member of the management committee after an announcement in February.
Powell, a fluent Arabic speaker who emigrated from Egypt to Texas as a child, is known for her vast network of relationships across the Middle East. She helped coordinate Trump's first foreign trip and arranged a series of meetings in Egypt for Vice President Mike Pence in late January.
Powell worked in George W Bush's state department. Powell was head of White House personnel and later became Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 and later rose to partner. She joined the Trump Administration in early 2017.
Sources told Axios, however, that Chief of Staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton would rather Powell not get the job, and that number of other names have been mooted to replace Haley as UN ambassador.
Some conservatives want Trump to replace Haley with Ric Grenell, the current US ambassador to Germany.
Trump said on Tuesday that he thinks his daughter Ivanka would be great for the role, but she has ruled it out.
Haley resigned suddenly on Tuesday but said she would serve until the end of the year. Trump said he would announce a replacement for Haley within the next two to three weeks.
Haley told reporters she has no plans to run for office in 2020, rejecting speculation that popped up almost instantly on social media.