By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not be asked to join his administration.
“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our country,” Trump posted on social media.
Trump is considering candidates to serve in his administration before his Jan. 20 inauguration as president.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, endorsed Trump for president despite having criticized him harshly when she ran against him in the party primaries.
Pompeo, who also served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Trump, has been mentioned in some media reports as a possible defense secretary and had been also seen a potential Republican presidential candidate, before he announced in April 2023 he would not run.
Haley and Pompeo could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.
Separately, Trump said the 2025 presidential inauguration will be co-chaired by real estate investor and campaign donor Steve Witkoff and former Senator Kelly Loeffler.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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