Senior officials in the Trump Administration and State Department were shocked by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's sudden resignation announcement, Axios reported.
Sources at the State Department told Fox News that Hailey had told her UN staff only on Tuesday that she intended to resign, and a UN Security Council diplomat said the news had "shocked me."
Vice President Mike Pence was also reportedly surprised by the announcement.
Commentators have speculated as to why Haley announced her resignation today, just one month before the midterm elections, when she will remain at her position for the rest of the year.
Initial reactions from the Democratic Party portrayed the move as further proof of the "chaos" in the Trump Administration. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey praised Haley and said that her departure would leave a "leadership vacuum."
Commentator Hugo Gordon of the Washington Examiner said the news might actually help the Republicans because they would focus attention on Haley's successes during the two years she was ambassador to the United Nations and the Trump Administration's foreign policy successes.
Haley explained her move by saying that government officials should "know when to step aside."