President Donald Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley on Tuesday announced that she would resign at the end of the year, marking a high-profile departure of one of the few women in the president’s cabinet.

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina had been an early and frequent critic of Trump, so when he named her as envoy to the UN weeks after his election in November 2016, the appointment was seen as an olive branch.

“It was a blessing to go into the UN with body armor every day and defend America,” Haley, seated next to Trump in the Oval Office, told reporters.

While describing her time at the world body as the honour of a lifetime, she added: “I’ll never truly step aside from fighting for our country. But I will tell you that I think it’s time.”.

Mr. Trump said Ms. Haley had informed him roughly six months ago that she wanted to take a break after finishing two years with the administration.

 

He added that he hoped Haley would return in a different role, assuring Americans that he would name her successor within the next two or three weeks.