Haley says she doesn't want to be secretary of state

NEW YORK — Nikki Haley says she does not want to be secretary of state — but not everyone believes her.

President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, whose political ambitions have become the subject of rampant speculation in Washington, dismissed the idea when pressed by POLITICO during a Thursday briefing with reporters.


"No, I do not," Haley said when asked if she wanted to serve as America's chief diplomat. But she seemed to acknowledge talk about whether she might soon become Trump's top diplomat, saying "there's going to be chatter" about her future.

"Ever since I was a legislator, people have talked about what I'm trying to do or what I'm supposed to do," Haley said. "What I'm trying to do is do a good job."

Haley made the statement on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, amid questions about the future of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a low-profile figure who has expressed frustrations with his job and whom critics say has often been outshined by Haley.

The Tillerson-Haley dynamic has been an unmistakable subplot of the annual General Assembly gathering, which brings together leaders from the 193 member states of the United Nations. Outwardly, the two have shown no personal friction, including when they sat next to one another at the U.N. during Trump's address here Tuesday.

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And the low-profile Tillerson has been unusually visible this week, joining several meetings with Trump and foreign leaders, and giving a rare, if short, press conference on Wednesday .

But Haley — also seen as a future presidential prospect — has been about as active, holding her own one-on-one meetings and sitting in on one some Trump events. To the surprise of some observers, Haley joined Tillerson in a key meeting Wednesday of the countries party to the Iran nuclear deal, an issue not previously part of the U.N. ambassador's portfolio.

Whether that might reflect not only Haley's commitment to her job but an interest in Tillerson's as well has been a hot topic among diplomats and journalists here. So has the way Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, has cut an unpopular figure at the State Department, where he has yet to fill numerous leadership positions and is widely viewed as isolated and aloof. Tillerson also wants to restructure State and has signaled he's willing to implement steep budget cuts proposed by Trump if Congress accepts them.

At the same time, Tillerson has raised eyebrows by distancing himself from Trump after the president refused to outright condemn all the white nationalist and neo-Nazi marchers involved in melees in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this year.

Fueling the speculation is the fact that Trump asked Haley last winter, before tapping Tillerson, whether she would want to be secretary of state. Haley declined because she felt she lacked the experience.

But Tillerson has given no public indication that he's eyeing the exits. And sources who know him say it would be unlike him to leave so soon, especially before the reorganization of the department is finished.

One of Tillerson's top aides, communications strategist R.C. Hammond, has recently ramped up his activity on Twitter to defend his boss against the rumors and correct what he believes is misreporting about the State Department.

Hammond told POLITICO on Thursday that Tillerson "isn't going anywhere."