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Wed. 8:43 a.m.: Trump says he may pick new UN ambassador this month

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told reporters he was considering five candidates to replace U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and that a successor would be named in two to three weeks — or maybe sooner.

Among those under consideration, Trump said, is former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell. The Goldman Sachs executive and former Bush administration official is a close ally of Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner — both senior White House aides.

Haley announced Tuesday that she is resigning at the end of the year. The news blindsided some key U.S. allies and many congressional Republicans involved in foreign policy matters.

Haley, the first female governor of South Carolina, has often been an unpredictable and independent force in the Trump administration. At times she has offered strikingly different perspectives on world events from her more isolationist-minded boss.

A smiling Haley announced her decision at an Oval Office meeting alongside the president, bringing up her own political prospects even as she underscored her continued support for Trump. Without prompting from reporters, she said she had no plans to run for president “in 2020” and would campaign for Trump.

Trump told reporters that he has heard Ivanka Trump’s name discussed for the post, adding she’d be “incredible,” but said if he selected her he’d be accused of nepotism.

In a tweet, the presidential senior adviser praised Haley, saying Trump will “nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador.” She added: “That replacement will not be me.”

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