Nikki Haley harbouring presidential ambitions, claims book

Washington, January 6

Indian-American politician Nikki Haley is harbouring presidential ambitions and many in President Donald Trump’s inner circle fear that she could be the heir to the presidency, Michael Wolff’s new book about the White House has revealed.

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In the book ‘Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House’ which hit the book stores on Friday, author Michael Wolff, claims that Haley has an eye on the presidency and Trump is seen to be grooming her for a national political future.

The move, however, was not liked by fired Steve Bannon, who once held the powerful position of White House Chief Strategist.

There was no immediate reaction from US Ambassador to the UN Haley, who according to the book by October concluded that Trump at the most was a one-time President.

Haley, 45, is the first-ever Indian-American appointed to a Cabinet-level position by any President.

She is currently US Ambassador to the United Nations, which is a Cabinet-level position.

In the last one year, the two-term Governor from South Carolina has emerged as a close confident of Trump and has been strongly pushing for Trump’s foreign policy agenda at the United Nations, attracting frequent praise from Trump himself.

However, the book, which has been dismissed by Trump and the White House, but has dogged the media limelight for the past few days portrays Haley in a negative light says that the Indian-American has a presidential ambition and does not has a good view of the President.

“By October, however, many on the President’s staff took particular notice of one of the few remaining Trump opportunists: Nikki Haley, the UN ambassador,” the book said.

Haley—“as ambitious as Lucifer”, in the characterisation of one member of the senior staff—had concluded that Trump’s tenure would last, at best, a single term, and that she, with requisite submission, could be his heir apparent, Wolff writes. PTI