Story highlights
Haley and Trump have had a rocky relationship
They will be meeting on Thursday
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is under consideration by President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, and other cabinet positions, a transition source told CNN Wednesday, despite their rocky history.
Trump is going to meet with Haley, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Cincinnati Mayor Ken Blackwell, Admiral Mike Rogers and Rep. Jeb Hensarling on Thursday, according to Trump’s communication director Jason Miller and Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer.
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Haley, South Carolina’s first female and Indian-American governor, had spent most of the election season criticizing Trump, including taking aim at him during her high-profile role giving the Republican response to the State of the Union.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” Haley said at the time from the governor’s residence in Columbia. “We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”
Trump struck back at the South Carolina governor after her speech, saying at the time she was being “weak” on immigration.
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“She’s very weak on illegal immigration,” he said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” “I feel very strongly about immigration. She doesn’t.”
And ahead of the Republican South Carolina primary, Haley said Trump represents “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president.”
She endorsed Trump’s former presidential rival Florida Sen. Marco Rubio when he was still in the race.
In October, she reversed her position, and said she was going to vote for him when he became the Republican nominee, but added that she was “not a fan.”
During Wednesday’s call with reporters, Spicer also said that the first wave of landing teams that will interact with agencies will be announced on Thursday, including the Justice Department, State Department and Defense Department.
Trump’s transition team will announce the landing teams for economic and domestic policy next week, Spicer said.
Spicer also said anyone being vetted for a high post in the administration must provide a termination of lobbying form if they are registered lobbyists. In addition, when they leave the government, they will be banned from being a lobbyist for five years.
CNN’s Noah Gray and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
