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Trump Picks South Carolina Governor as UN Ambassador

Trump Picks South Carolina Governor as UN Ambassador
Trump Picks South Carolina Governor as UN Ambassador

US president-elect Donald Trump has picked South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who was critical of him during his election campaign and who has little foreign policy experience, to be US ambassador to the United Nations.

The choice of Haley was announced in a statement on Wednesday from Trump's transition team.

"Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country," the Republican president-elect said in the statement, Reuters reported.

Haley, a 44-year-old Republican, sharply criticized Trump during the presidential campaign over his harsh rhetoric about illegal immigrants and for not speaking forcefully enough against white supremacists.

The choice of Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants who is an active voice for tolerance, may be aimed at countering criticism of Trump's divisive comments about immigrants and minorities, as well as accusations of sexism during his campaign for the Nov. 8 election in which he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Haley led an effort last year to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The flag was carried by pro-slavery Confederate forces during the US Civil War and is viewed by many as a racist emblem.

She condemned Trump during the Republican presidential primary campaign for not disavowing the support of white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan and one of its former leaders, David Duke.

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