US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has been talking with Goldman Sachs executive Dina Powell, one of his former advisers, about possibly succeeding Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the United Nations, Reuters reported.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that he liked Powell, but added she is just one of many people being considered for the UN post.
Haley and President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday morning that she will exit the administration by the end of 2018. Trump said Haley informed him of her plans six months ago, and that she wanted to "take a break" from public service.
Haley has been an outspoken critic of the UN's corruption, bias, and inability to deal with human rights crisis around the world. She was also Israel's biggest supporter at the UN.
Powell served in the first year of the Trump administration as the deputy national security adviser for strategy, and was a key player in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and part of the president's inner circle.
She returned to Goldman Sachs, where she worked for more than a decade, this year.
Trump first said on Tuesday he is considering Powell for the position, though he also quipped that his daughter, Ivanka Trump would be "dynamite" as an ambassador to the United Nations. He also conceded he would be accused of nepotism if he appointed her to replace Haley.
Ivanka Trump later clarified that she would not replace Haley, expressing confidence that her father would nominate a “formidable” replacement.