Goldman Sachs executive Dina Powell has withdrawn from consideration to succeed Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the United Nations, a source familiar with the matter and quoted by Reuters said on Thursday.
Powell told President Donald Trump by phone that she was honored to be considered but planned to stay at Goldman Sachs, the source told the news agency.
Trump said on Wednesday he has been talking with Powell, who had earlier served the Trump White House as a deputy national security adviser, about possibly succeeding Haley.
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.
There had been some resistance in the White House to Powell’s return, and a senior administration official told Reuters earlier that she was no longer under consideration.
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.
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.