Not for the first time, President Donald Trump and one of his Cabinet members appear to be somewhat at odds. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images Trump After Dark: Haley’s Comet edition

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley isn’t having it.

Not for the first time, President Donald Trump and one of his Cabinet members appear to be somewhat at odds. And in the past this traffic has gone one way. The former South Carolina governor is different, though, POLITICO’s Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett report .


“In the span of 24 hours … Haley has done what none of her colleagues in Trump’s Cabinet have before: successfully telegraphed to her boss that she will not quietly suffer his public humiliations.”

Haley had initially absorbed blame from White House aides who said she created confusion by speaking on national television about new sanctions against Russia — sanctions which Trump ultimately decided to wait on. But within hours of White House economic aide Larry Kudlow saying that Haley perhaps had “momentary confusion” about the plan on sanctions, Haley fired back. She unleashed a withering reply — “With all due respect, I don’t get confused” — and Kudlow had phoned her to apologize.

The White House and, perhaps as importantly, Trump, have stayed silent on the topic since then.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Today, Haley looked to draw a bright line, saying that she and President Trump have a “perfect” relationship, POLITICO’s Maya Parthasarathy reports . She also gave reporters a thumbs up when asked how she and Trump were doing.

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

‘STILL HERE’: President Trump responded to questions about whether he would fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and special counsel Robert Mueller by saying, in part, “They are still here.”

POMP YOU UP: The White House has carefully released details about CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s trip to North Korea in part to show he is up for the job of secretary of state as he faces a narrow path to confirmation in the Senate.

TRUMP’S TRUST: The New York Times reports that Pompeo’s secret mission to North Korea shows that he is trusted with the most sensitive assignments from President Trump.

HAS TO WAIT: The nomination hearing for President Trump’s nominee to run the CIA, Gina Haspel, has been put on hold until at least May, with bipartisan concerns about her role with enhanced interrogations while at the CIA.

FRUIT OR FLY: Trump said during a bilateral meeting in Florida with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he would would bail on talks with North Korea if he thinks they aren’t proving “fruitful.”

COME AGAIN?: Though he said immediately afterward in a national broadcast interview that he had fired James Comey as director of the FBI in part because of the Russia investigation, President Trump today denied that the Russia investigation had anything to do with firing James Comey.

SHARING IS KAREN?: Former Playboy model Karen McDougal and the parent company of the National Enquirer have reached a settlement to end her non-disclosure agreement, freeing her to talk about her alleged affair with President Trump.

There you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. Wednesday is in the books.

