Dr. Ben Carson
will consider Trump’s offer to include him in the Cabinet and announce his
decision in a few days.
Trump picks charter school advocate
Betsy DeVos for education secretary, 11/23/16
President-elect Donald
Trump selected a charter school advocate and GOP donor from Michigan on
Wednesday to be education secretary.
Betsy DeVos becomes the
second woman chosen to fill a spot in Trump's Cabinet. Earlier Wednesday, Trump
named South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
earlier in the day. Both Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation. While
some initially cheered Haley's selection, despite her limited experience on the
international stage,
The DeVos choice
faced criticism even before it was formally announced Wednesday. Conservatives
warned that DeVos, a longtime Republican donor, previously supported the
Common Core education standards that Trump railed against during the campaign.
Trump, who was at his Palm
Beach estate Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday,
called DeVos "a brilliant and passionate education
advocate."
DeVos, from Michigan, is a
longtime advocate for charter schools and school vouchers. She currently leads
the advocacy group, American Federation for Children, and sits on the board of
the Jeb Bush-led Foundation for Excellence in Education.
"Under her leadership
we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is
holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and
school choice to all families," Trump said. DeVos said in her own
statement, "The status quo in education is not acceptable."
The DeVos family
has been active in Republican politics for decades, especially as donors to GOP
candidates and the Republican Party. DeVos' husband, Dick, is an heir to
the Amway fortune and a former president of the company. The couple gave $22.5
million to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington in 2010, at
the time the largest private donation in the center's history. Hours before
the DeVos pick was announced, conservative policy leader Frank
Cannon, president of American Principles Project, called her "an
establishment, pro-Common Core secretary of education."
"This would not
qualify as 'draining the swamp,'" Cannon said, referencing Trump's
campaign trail slogan. "And it seems to fly in the face of what Trump has
stated on education policy up to this point."
In a statement to Fox
News, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said DeVos
"has no meaningful experience in the classroom or in our schools."
“The president-elect, in
his selection of Betsy DeVos, has chosen the most ideological, anti-public
education nominee put forward since President Carter created a Cabinet-level
Department of Education," Weingarten said. “In nominating DeVos, Trump
makes it loud and clear that his education policy will focus on privatizing,
defunding and destroying public education in America."
Former presidential
contender and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called DeVos "an outstanding
pick" for the position.“She has a long and distinguished history championing
the right of all parents to choose schools that best ensure their children’s
success," he said in a statement.
When asked
about DeVos' support for the Common Core standards, Trump spokesman Jason
Miller said "the president-elect has been consistent and very clear in his
opposition to Common Core."
"Anybody joining the
administration is signing on to the president-elect's platform and vision for
moving America forward," Miller said.
There was less immediate opposition to Haley's selection.
Haley, the daughter of
Indian immigrants, is the only minority member chosen by Trump so far. Retired
neurosurgeon and Trump loyalist, Ben Carson, an African-American, has been
offered the job of secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development,
according to a person familiar with the offer who spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the deliberations
publicly.
Carson has not yet
accepted the offer, but he tweeted on Wednesday that "an announcement is
forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again."
Trump said that Haley,
his UN choice, "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."
"She is also a
proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals," he said in a
statement. "She will be a great leader representing us on the world
stage."
South Carolina Sen.
Lindsey Graham praised his home-state governor as a good choice and said in a
statement that he looks forward to working with her on "overdue reforms of
the United Nations." Graham is chairman of the Senate's Foreign Operations
Subcommittee on Appropriations, which is responsible for funding the UN and all
American foreign assistance.
Haley said she
accepted the assignment partly out of "a sense of duty." "When
the president believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of
our nation, and to our nation's standing in the world, that is a calling that
is important to heed," she said in a statement.
Not all presidents
have treated the ambassadorship to the U.N. as a Cabinet-level position, and
Republicans have tended not to grant that status. Trump spokesman Jason Miller
said Trump is "spending significant time" weighing his choice for
secretary of state. Among those he has interviewed is 2012 GOP presidential
nominee Mitt Romney, who repeatedly denounced Trump during the 2016 campaign. After
secretary of state, the UN ambassador is the highest-profile diplomatic
position, often serving as the voice for U.S. positions on the international
stage. As part of the Cabinet, Haley would have more opportunity to shape U.S.
policies, rather than simply defend the administration's positions.
Yet it could be an
awkward role at times. Trump campaigned on the theme of "America
first" and said he is skeptical about "international unions that tie
us up and bring America down." Trump has also described the United Nations
as weak and incompetent.
Haley would be the
third consecutive female U.S. ambassador to the UN, after Susan Rice and
Samantha Power, the current ambassador.
Bad blood between
Trump and Haley was evident through much of the campaign. "The people of
South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!" Trump wrote on Twitter in
March. Haley denounced several of Trump's campaign comments and urged voters to
"reject the siren call of the angriest voices."
DeVos, too, was slow
to warm to Trump. She told The Associated Press in July, "A lot of the
things he has said are very off-putting and concerning." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/23/charter-school-advocate-betsy-devos-picked-for-education-job.html
Trump
chooses South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as UN ambassador, 11/23/16, FoxNews.com
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday chose South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to be his selection as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley was an outspoken
Trump critic throughout much of his campaign, yet she's now poised to be the
first female Cabinet-level official in the Trump administration. Haley still
needs Senate confirmation to take the post.
"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," Trump said in a statement. "She is also a
proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great
leader representing us on the world stage."
A Trump spokesperson
said Wednesday that Trump and Haley had "natural chemistry" when they
met on Thursday and her selection as UN ambassador was an easy choice.
Born in South Carolina
and of Indian descent, Haley is the third Asian-American to serve as U.S.
governor, following ex-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and ex-Washington Gov. Gary
Locke.
"Our country
faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally, and I am honored
that the President-elect has asked me to join his team and serve the country we
love as the next Ambassador to the United Nations," Haley said.
Haley drew praise for
her handling of the aftermath of the Emanuel AME Church mass shooting in
Charleston, which stirred racial tensions after nine black
parishioners were gunned down by an accused white shooter who allegedly
wanted to start a race war. She also presided over the removal of the
Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house grounds.
In January, Haley, who
was beginning to earn buzz as a possible vice presidential pick, delivered the
Republican response to President Obama's final State of the Union address.
Parts of her speech, however, were viewed as a rebuke not only of Obama, but
also of Trump.
"During anxious
times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest
voices," Haley said. "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."
Early in the
Republican primary, Haley campaigned for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio before going
on to support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Though she never appeared to totally warm to
the eventual GOP nominee, she did say she would vote for Trump.
"This is no
longer a choice for me on personalities because I’m not a fan of either
one," Haley said in October. "What it is about is policy." Haley,
44, met with Trump on Thursday and said they had a “very nice” conversation.
The following day, during a speech to the Federalist Society's National
Lawyer's Association, Haley talked about Trump's unusual path to the
presidency. "President-elect
Trump deserves tremendous credit for the way he was able to connect with the
electorate, but he did not do it by celebrating the Republican Party," she
said. "And the American people did not vote for him because he had an 'R'
next to his name."
She was generally
endorsed for a spot on Trump's team by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham,
himself a frequent Republican critic of Trump. "She’s done a good job as
governor of South Carolina," Graham told the News & Observer.
"She’s talented, capable and would do a good job in any assignment given
to her." Her new job clears the way for Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster to step
into the role of South Carolina governor. McMaster was an early Trump endorser,
backing him before the state's GOP primary in February.
The potential addition
of Haley to Trump's team highlights a series of diverse candidates that Trump
has considered for various cabinet spots. Dr. Ben Carson said he had been
offered the position of Housing and Urban Development secretary and Trump has
also met with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hi. Gabbard and former
diplomat Ric Grenell had been rumored to be among the candidates for the UN
ambassador job.
A Trump spokesperson
said at least one other cabinet position could be announced later Wednesday.
Though no specific names or departments were mentioned, former Gov. and
presidential nominee Mitt Romney is being considered for Secretary of State and
retired Gen. James Mattis is in contention for Secretary of Defense. Former New
York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Dr. Ben Carson and Kansas Secretary of State
Kris Kobach are among other high profile figures who've met with Trump
recently.
Fox
News’ Nick Kalman and Meghan Welsh and the Associated Press contributed to this
report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/23/trump-chooses-south-carolina-gov-nikki-haley-as-un-ambassador.html
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