Indian American Nikki Haley is likely to be appointed as US Ambassador in UN

During the last week of November 2016, President elect Donald Trump made an announcement to appoint Governor Nikki Haley (44) as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. She will be the first women to be handpicked by President elect Trump for his new cabinet. President Obama's both UN ambassadors were also women: Susan Rice and Samantha Power.

Ms. Haley's name had earlier been in consideration to become Mr. Trump's secretary of state, and she met with Mr. Trump's transition team officials in New York.

Nikki Haley

Born to Punjabi Immigrants, Ms. Nikki Haley is currently the 116th Governor of South Carolina state, probably the first women Governor of South Carolina. She is also the youngest serving Governor in the United States. She is the second Indian-American to serve as Governor in the United States, first one being Mr. Bobby Jindal. In 2014 she was re-elected as the Governor of South Carolina, whose term expires only by 2019.

She delivered the Republican response to President Obama's 2016 final "State of the Union" address, an address delivered by the US President to the Congress every year.

While making his announcement, President elect Trump said the South Carolina Governor has a "track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation." Praising Ms. Nikki Haley as "a proven deal-maker, and we look to be making plenty of deals." In her reply she said "Our country faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally, I am honored that the President-elect has asked me to join his team."

She will replace the incumbent Ambassador Samantha Power who holds the seat since 2013.

Nikki Haley - Donald Trump Relationship

Ms. Nikki Haley strongly opposed Mr. Donald Trump throughout his Presidential campaign.

She endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio, one of Mr. Trump's rival. After Senator Rubio was dropped out of the race, she endorsed Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley exchanged their opinion about each other on twitter,

"The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!" Donald Trump tweeted. And in her reply Ms. Haley tweeted "Bless your heart" (which is more of a way of dismissing someone).

When Mr. Trump announced his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States, Ms. Haley reacted calling it "absolutely un-American" and "unconstitutional." Ms. Haley in an interview said "It defies everything that this country was based on and it's just wrong,"

In addition to this, during her response speech to the "State of the Union" delivered by President Obama, she sharply criticized Mr. Trump and also urged her party to reject the "angriest voices", a line aimed at Mr. Trump.

Now after having nominated and met the President elect, she said her criticism on President elect was truth-telling "When I see something I am uncomfortable with, I say it. When we met, it was friends who had known each other before."

US ambassador to the United Nations

As the US ambassador to UN, Ms. Haley will be leading the United States delegation, the US mission to United Nations. Her position is formally known as the Permanent Representative of the US to United Nations. She will represent US in the United Nations Security Council, a rank and status equal to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. She will usually represent the US on the United Nations General Assembly, except for some important issues where a senior representation is needed like the Secretary of the State or the President himself. Like all the other US ambassadors she will be nominated by the President and approved by the Senate.

If her nomination gets ratified by the Senate, Ms. Haley will have to step down from her Governorship and she will likely be replaced by South Carolina's lieutenant Governor, Henry McMaster. Unlike Ms. Haley he was a strong supporter of Mr. Trump throughout his Presidential campaign.