<p>UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will be leaving her position at the end of the year, announced President Trump on Tuesday. ;</p>
<p>The decision came as a surprise to most White House officials, who questioned why she would make such an announcement right before midterms. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;s done a fantastic job and we&rsquo;ve done a fantastic job together,&rdquo; said Trump, adding that Haley told him six months ago she was considering taking a break from public service. ;</p>
<p>Haley was appointed to the UN position in November 2016. Before that, she served as Governor of South Carolina for six years.</p>
<p>Despite her opposition to Trump during the 2016 elections, Haley went on to become an invaluable member of his administration and a dependable voice at the UN. Her position was not an easy one, especially considering the global criticism regarding ;Trump&rsquo;s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA and his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.</p>
<p>Haley&rsquo;s job &#8211; in her own words &#8211; was to defend America on the world stage. &ldquo;For those that don&rsquo;t have our back, we&rsquo;re taking names,&rdquo; she said during her first day as ambassador. ;</p>
<p>When she announced Trump&rsquo;s decision to withdraw from the UNHRC in June, Haley described the organization as a &ldquo;protector of human rights abusers&#8221; and a &#8220;cesspool of political bias.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Haley did not give a specific reason for her decision to resign, but ;confirmed she would not be running for office in 2020.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think that it&rsquo;s just very important for government officials to understand when it&rsquo;s time to step aside,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And I do think that sometimes it&rsquo;s good to rotate in other people who can put that same energy and power into it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Trump said he plans to have a replacement lined up by the end of the month. &#8220;I think it&rsquo;s become maybe a more glamorous position than it was two years ago..Nikki Haley has made it a better position.&rdquo; ;</p>
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