AMBASSADOR/NIKKI HALEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Almost two months after President Donald Trump said he would quickly name a replacement for Nikki Haley, he is still struggling to pick his next ambassador to the United Nations. At first, former deputy national security adviser to the President Dina Powell was under consideration, then took herself out of contention. Then a long list of candidates were floated including Kay Bailey Hutchison, the ambassador to NATO; Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen organization; Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany; and John James, who recently lost a Michigan Senate race to Democrat Debbie Stabenow. But in late October Trump seemed to have found his favorite and told aides he wanted State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, a former Fox News host. Trump went public and said Nauert was ‘excellent,’ noting she’s ‘been a supporter for a long time. And she’s really excellent.’ But after CNN and multiple other outlets reported that Trump was telling others Nauert was his top choice, her critics launched an intense lobbying effort to squash Nauert’s candidacy.”
–Jamie Gangel, Kaitlan Collins, Michelle Kosinski and Nicole Gaouette, “Trump struggles to replace Nikki Haley at the United Nations,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, November 30, 2018 8:08 pm