Ex-White House aide Dina Powell could be next UN ambassador

WASHINGTON – President Trump said Wednesday that his administration is talking to former White House aide Dina Powell about taking Ambassador Nikki Haley’s post at the UN — but that’s she’s one of several contenders.

Asked if Powell was the frontrunner, the president said, “No, but she’s somebody we’re talking to.”

Powell, a former deputy national security adviser, left her White House post in January 2018. She returned to a job at Goldman Sachs, with Politico reporting that she likes the gig because it gives her more time to spend with her family.

In hindsight, Haley seemed to be courting Powell, posting a photo of the two boating in South Carolina over the weekend.

Ivanka Trump seemed part of the charm offensive as she sang Powell’s praises at a World Bank event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. The first daughter gave Powell, who was sitting in the audience, a shout-out from the stage.

On Tuesday, Haley announced she would be leaving at year’s end.

Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, has also been mentioned as a contender.

But Trump said he’s not on his short list because he needs him where he is.

“He is doing so well in a position that is so important,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Ric is doing so well that I wouldn’t want to move him. I’d personally rather keep Ric where he is.”

Another name being floated around DC is Sen. Bob Corker ( R-Tenn.), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair who’s retiring from his seat.

He’s mended his relationship with Trump since saying last year that the White House resembled “an adult day care center.”

Corker wouldn’t rule out the UN post but also suggested he wasn’t seriously being considered.

“We’ve had no conversations about it and conjecture’s really bad for your health,” the Tennessee Republican said, according to the Washington Examiner.

Trump said he’d like to name Haley’s replacement in a matter of weeks so that the individual can work alongside her until she leaves.

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