Though she has long been considered to be a rising star within the Republican Party, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley never rose above the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Why was Haley never elevated to other posts inside the Trump administration? Thanks to a book and discussion on MSNBC today, we now know.
New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt was the guest to discuss his book Donald Trump V. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President, and the conversation began with host Joe Scarborough remarking:
“Let’s talk about another aspect of it that was shocking to John Kelly, how shallow Donald Trump was when he would select people. I remember during the transition talking to him, and him talking about how Rex Tillerson was big and he looked like the role, and he loved [James] Mattis because of his nickname, ‘Mad Dog.’ He didn’t like [David] Petraeus because he thought Petraeus worked out too much. He was too drawn in, he weighed the same in high school that he weighed when Trump was talking to him, and no secretary of state could be that drawn — I’m serious.”
That led co-host Mika Brzezinski to add:
Scarborough then remarked:
Schmidt took the discussion from there:
“So Trump is throwing around different possibilities for replacement of Tillerson and [vice president Mike] Pence, even as far back as 2018, talking about whether he could replace Pence, and in discussing that, he says, well, you know, what do you think about Nikki Haley, he throws out in the Oval Office, and what Trump says is that she doesn’t look good for me, and he complains about her ‘blotchy’ complexion and saying that, you know, because of her aesthetics, he didn’t like her as a potential, you know, senior administration official or as a potential vice presidential replacement for Pence, who Trump was complaining as far back as then owed him, that Pence owed him because Trump had saved Pence from political ruin when he picked him in 2016 to be his vice president.”
Scarborough had the perfect zinger to Schmidt’s comment:
Blotchy skin. That was Trump’s concern. Apparently he doesn’t realize that he looks like a painted fool with the fake tan (and makeup?) he keeps on his fat face. Also, that hair isn’t fooling anyone: He’s going bald and he knows it.
For someone so obsessed with appearances, you’d think Donald would realize that he’s one of the ugliest human beings on the planet, inside and out.