Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley on Thursday accused fellow Trump administration alumnus Mike Pompeo of using “lies and gossip to sell” his upcoming memoir.
Haley’s remarks came after Fox News’ Bret Baier asked her to respond to the former secretary of state’s claim, made in his soon-to-be-released memoir Never Give an Inch, that Haley coveted the vice-presidency and actively plotted with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to steal the position from Mike Pence.
“As best [White House Chief of Staff John] Kelly could tell they [Kushner and Ivanka] were presenting a possible ‘Haley for vice-president’ option. I can’t confirm this, but [Kelly] was certain he had been played, and he was not happy about it. Clearly, this visit did not reflect a team effort but undermined our work for America,” Pompeo wrote in an early excerpt released by The Guardian.
Haley dismissed the allegations Thursday night noting that Trump’s vice-president, Mike Pence, was a friend.
“I don’t know why he [Pompeo] said it, but that’s exactly why I stayed out of DC as much as possible, to get away from the drama,” Haley told Bret Baier of Fox News.
The approaching release of Pompeo’s book comes on the heels of Mike Pence’s memoir, So Help Me God, published in November 2022.
Pompeo’s jab at Haley comes as speculation swirls around the make up of the 2024 Republican field, which no one has yet entered apart from Donald Trump, who announced in November 2022. Haley, Pompeo, and Pence have all teased the idea of throwing their hats into the race.
“I think we need a young generation to come in, step up and really start fixing things…Can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader,” Haley teased during her Fox interview.
Another pre-publication copy of the book obtained by Semafor revealed that Pompeo and Trump had a tense exchange during the early days of the pandemic in March 2020. At the time, Trump was caught navigating American supply-chain woes, which left the United States dependent upon Chinese health-care products.
The former president reportedly told Pompeo to “shut the hell up for a while” about China’s role in mishandling the pandemic.
“Stop, for God’s sake!” Trump reportedly told Pompeo.
During this time, Trump even went so far as to compliment the Chinese Communist Party’s handling of the pandemic.
“China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!” Trump tweeted at the time.