U.S. President Donald Trump says he hopes to choose a UN ambassador to replace Nikki Haley very soon and says he would prefer to pick a woman for the job.
“We'll have somebody great...we're going to pick somebody very quickly,” Trump said following an October 20 rally in the city of Elko, Nevada.
He added that he was currently interviewing five candidates to be Washington’s next ambassador to the United Nations.
He said three of the candidates were women. Asked if he would prefer to have a woman in the job, he said, "Yes."
He later added, "I think I might prefer that, but we'll see."
Trump on October 9 announced that Haley would be leaving her post "at the end of the year." No reason was given for the planned departure.
Haley, 46, a former governor of South Carolina, is the daughter of Indian immigrants. She is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party and a possible candidate for the 2020 presidential election.
Despite the speculation, Haley said during an October 9 meeting with Trump, "No, I'm not running in 2020."
