Dina Powell Withdraws Her Name From UN Ambassador Consideration

Dina Powell, a former Trump administration official and an executive at Goldman Sachs, has removed her name from consideration to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, according to several media reports.

Powell had been on a shortlist of candidates to fill the role after current Ambassador Nikki Haley announced abruptly this week that she would leave her post at the end the of the year.

Haley, who was critical of Trump during the 2016 election, has often broken with the president during her tenure was seen as a steadying hand in an administration plagued by high-profile departures.

“It was a blessing to go into the U.N. with body armor every day and defend America,” Haley told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “I’ll never truly step aside from fighting for our country. But I will tell you that I think it’s time.”

Trump praised Haley’s work at the U.N., saying the former governor of South Carolina had been “very special” to him since he appointed her shortly after his election.

“She’s a fantastic person, very importantly, but she is also somebody who gets it,” he said.

Powell served as deputy national security adviser to Trump, but worried about the frequent travel the U.N. job would require, according to Politico. The outlet noted that she strongly considered the role and spoke with the president about it this week, but no offer was made. She informed executives at Goldman Sachs that she withdrew her name on Thursday.

Sources familiar with the White House’s decisions also told CNN that Powell may have faced difficulties gaining inroads with Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly.

Reuters notes that Trump still has a shortlist of candidates, including the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Kelly Craft, and current Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. The president’s final candidate will require Senate confirmation and become one of the administration’s most public personas.