- Welcome to the CBN News Live Desk

out of our Washington DC Bureau.

I'm John Jessup

with our White HouseCorrespondent Ben Kennedy.

We are awaiting word from the White House.

A joint appearance with President Trump

and UN Ambassador for theUnited States Nikki Haley.

She has just announced her resignation.

She has been an effectivemember of Trump's administration

working at the United Nations.

She was confirmed withinjust a matter of days

of his inauguration

and has been seen as aneffective leader at the UN.

Ben, what are you hearing

about her resignation?

- Well John, wow.

I mean to be honest with you guys,

this was come at a bigsurprise this morning.

This was not somethingwe expected to happen.

In fact we are hearingthat Ambassador Haley

told her staff just this morning

that she planned to step down.

President Trump just tweetedout about 10 minutes ago

that big announcement with my friend

Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Oval Office

at 10:30 which is just about now.

So things normally do tend to run

a little bit behindschedule at the White House.

We do expect to hear from President Trump

as well as UN Ambassador Nikki Haley

in just a bit.

But again, no word on who will replace her

at this moment.

But I think everyone isstill trying to grasp at why.

It is clear that President Trump is aware.

It is also clear that shemet with President Trump

prior to making this announcement.

I'm expecting to find out more at 10:30

in to exactly what ledup to her stepping down.

But you have to realize,

Nikki Haley has been avery supportive member

of President Trump's cabinet.

And also a friend of Israelif you guys remember.

She was instrumental in moving the embassy

from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

She fought really hardagainst the oppression

of religious freedom in North Korea

as well as removing the nuclear weapons.

She did an incrediblejob as kind of a bridge

between the US and the United Nations.

And as of just a few moments ago,

it appears she now plans to step down.

- Yes and as Ben just commented,

we will bring you thetape of President Trump

and Nikki Haley as soonas that becomes available.

We're waiting,

that should take placewithin a matter of minutes.

A little bit of background on Nikki Haley.

Of course she was a populargovernor from South Carolina.

She made big headlineswhen she insisted after

the church shooting there in Charleston

at Mother Emanuel AME Church

to take down the confederate flag

and South Carolina state flag.

It of course raised her profile.

It made her highly visible.

She was considered asa potential candidate

to run as a Republicancandidate for President in 2016.

However, she ended up supportingof course President Trump

in his bid.

Ben let's talk about the timing of this.

This comes a couple ofweeks after President Trump

was with his team thereat the United Nations.

Where you saw on manycamera shots Nikki Haley

and Vice President Pence sittingright behind the President.

A very supportive memberof his administration

but also a few weeksbefore when there was that

New York Times article,

that the op-ed- Correct.

- There was a lot ofsuggestion that it might be

someone who's a moretraditional Republican.

Nikki Haley was suggested as well.

But she also authored astrong defense against that.

- Correct,

she was one of the oneswho came out immediately

after that op-ed came out

saying look it is not me.

I continue to supportPresident Donald Trump.

And what led people to believe

it could possibly be her was that the

paper said that it was asenior administrator official.

So someone high level enoughto want to conceal the name

but also to lend some credibility

to who this person might be

who did talk against thePresident and his administration,

some of the problems that they are facing

as to is it Ambassador Haley,

again she denied it.

And also what tends notto indicate that it is her

is this tweet by PresidentTrump a short time ago

that he will be with the Ambassador

as she makes an announcement at 10:30.

But again she is the 29thUnited States Ambassador

to the United Nations.

And as John was justsaying we last saw her

just a few weeks ago in New York City

when President Trump spoke to the UN.

She gave some comments as well.

But, John I think when we first heard this

or got the note that this came down,

everyone said wow.

I mean no one, honestly in disbelief

why or how this is happening.

We of course plan tolearn more in just a bit.

- Why don't we Ben,talk a little bit about

the effectiveness of herrole as the UN ambassador

at the United Nations.

The United Nations ofcourse is an institution

that a lot of Republicans have criticized.

She went there and in many respects

has shaken things up.

You had just mentionedher support for Israel.

Also it's moved from the US embassy

in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But calling out nationslike Iran and North Korea

in ways that we haven't seen in the past.

Let's talk a little bitabout her effectiveness.

- The thing about Nikki Haley,

she is not afraid to go on the offense.

And she was very vocal about the things

John was just talking about

which is very important to our audience.

Israel, recognizingJerusalem as the Capitol.

I know past Presidents have promised that

for the past more than 20 years.

But no one really fulfilled that.

And under President Trump that took place.

And yes Ambassador Haley was instrumental

in getting that doneand keeping closer ties

in relationship with Israel.

But also yes, calling out North Korea,

calling out Iran,

calling out Turkey forholding Pastor Andrew Brunson

which is still the case today.

At the same time,

she was a member of theTrump administration

that whether or not you'rea Republican or a Democrat

you did admire her.

She worked incrediblyhard in the United Nations

and it's clear the impact that she has had

in a very short time,

less than two years serving as Ambassador.

And now as of just a few moments ago,

she plans to step down.

- Yeah also a compelling life story.

The daughter of an Indian immigrant

and raised here in theUnited States of course.

And she's also been very vocalabout her Christian faith.

She's spoken to CBN on several accounts

most recently I believe with CBN's

Chief Political Analyst David Brody.

She's just very forceful in her defense

of religious freedom asyou were just saying.

Also calling out Turkeybecause of it's imprisonment

of Pastor Andrew Brunson.

- One thing about Ambassador Haley,

and this is importantbecause we've been dealing

with the confirmationof Justice Kavanaugh.

Ambassador Haley reallygot bipartisan support

when she became the UNUnited States Ambassador.

She with a vote of 96 to four,

she was voted in.

And that's incredibly large numbers

when you think about thevote that just happened

over the weekend for nowJustice Brett Kavanaugh.

How it was 50 to 48.

Clearly partisan support,only one Democrat

crossed party lines to say yes.

And that was not he casewith Ambassador Haley.

Just to kind of putthings into perspective.

The support she had from bothRepublicans and Democrats.

Again, if you're just tuning in right now,

she told her staff thismorning that she did

plan to step down as the UN Ambassador.

And it is still not clear whatled up to this announcement.

President Trump tweeted out that at 10:30,

which I know we're quiteabout seven minutes past 10:30

both he and Ambassador Haley

plan to make an announcementin the Oval Office

where we expect to learn why

and also what's in store.

I'm sure there's a reasonbehind her stepping down.

Then of course President Trump now faces

another important task offinding someone to replace her.

- Sure, replace and thenalso the contentious battle

as we've just seen withthe confirmation process

of Judge Brett Kavanaugh ornow Justice Brett Kavanaugh

trying to get that personconfirmed by the Senate.

I suspect it might be easier,

given the role.

However, we'll just have to wait and see.

- And you're right.

I feel like at the United Nations

whether you're a Republican or Democrat

at the United Nationswe're the United States.

And I feel like a lot of the big issues

have bipartisan support.

Specifically Iran, withTurkey, with Syria,

it appears whether doesn'tmatter quite what aisle

you are a party to you arein agreement to the issues

that are facing those countries.

- I think it's also beeninteresting to watch

Nikki Haley because she hasn't always been

completely in lockstep with the President.

I think she was probablyeven more forceful

ahead of the President

when it came to the atrocities

that we've been witnessing in Syria.

She's been very vocalabout Bashar Al Asaad

the President of Syria and taking steps

to prevent him fromgaining a stronger foothold

than what he already has in the war

in the Syrian Civil War whichhas been raging now for years.

And we saw President Trumpof course follow suit

and launch the Tomahawkmissiles late last year.

And I think that was an interesting way

where you saw NikkiHaley kind of out front

in front of the President.

In many respects beinga forceful advocate,

but also kind of wearingher heart on her sleeve

and showing the compassionateside of diplomacy

when it comes to representingthe United States

at the United Nations.

We should also mention Ben,that the Hill was reporting

that a government watchdog group called

The Citizens For ResponsibilityAnd Ethics In Washington

did send a letter tothe State Department's

Inspector General to investigate flights

that Nikki Haley had been taking.

They say that according to the Hill

Haley acknowledged in her 2017

public financial disclosurethat she did take

seven free flights betweenNew York, Washington DC,

and three cities in theformer governor's home state

of South Carolina.

So that is a bit of news also to add

into the equation.

Not sure how it all factors in.

But as far as trying toprovide a breadth of scope

on the information that we're getting

that did just,

that watchdog group didfile that request yesterday.

- Sorry we're just looking at our e-mails

to kind of monitor.

Throughout the day I gete-mails from the White House

Press Corp on pool gathering

and some of the detailswith getting prepared for

major announcements like this.

But it appears the pool is gathering

or almost in the OvalOffice to prepare for

this announcement with President Trump

and Ambassador Haleywhere we expect to learn

the details exactly whyshe is stepping down.

And what's next in store for her.

I expect to hear I guesspraise or kind words

from President Trumpabout Ambassador Haley.

Yes as you were talking earlier,

they always didn't quite seeeye to eye on everything.

She was honest about that.

But having a joint announcement together

is a very clear sign that this was

something agreed upon by both parties.

- Right and it shows theamount of respect really

that President Trump has for Nikki Haley

to be seen side by side as she'sannouncing her resignation.

We should also give youthis quote from Nikki Haley

that she is quoted inthe Washington Post op-ed

saying I proudly servein the administration

in this administration rather,

and I enthusiasticallysupport most of its decisions

and its direction ithas taken the country.

Haley wrote, but I don'tagree with the President

on everything.

So again that goes to whatwe were just discussing

Nikki Haley being verysupportive of the administration

but also willing to chart her own path

when she disagrees with the President.

- I'm reading now that

So it appears yeah thepress pool is in the room.

It is not clear if this will be a

John do you know if thisis going to be a playback

or if this is going to be live?

- [John] It is taped playback.

So there is a pool, acamera pool that is going in

to the White House to record the statement

from President Trump andUN Ambassador Nikki Haley

and as soon as they'redone with that statement

they will play it out.

And we'll be able tobring that back to you.

So there's going to be ofcourse a little bit of a delay.

But we'll try to walk you through it

as we make our way through this.

- And no doubt duringthese taped playbacks

and I'm sure you've seen in the past

the reporters normallyget a question or two

or you'll hear them shouting questions.

And I think in a moment like this

there are a lot of questionsthat need to be answered.

And I expect that thestatement will address

many of them into exactlywhy she decided to step down,

what's next, what she plans to do.

I know her name has been in the run as a

potential presidentnominee in the near future,

or the distance future that is.

So she has a very brightfuture ahead of her

and an impressive resume asyou were talking about John.

A governor and now serving asthe United States Ambassador

for the past two years.

- Well you made mention of it,

so why don't we go there.

Let's talk about Nikki Haley's future.

She's still relatively very young

and has a bright future ahead.

Maybe we shouldn't bejumping the gun here.

But it is interesting thatshe less than two years

into this position has decided to resign.

So prospects for herfuture I would imagine,

she would be able todo pretty much anything

that she wants to do.

Whether it's in the political world

or outside the political world.

- Well and we continueto see former members

of the Trump administration

when they do step down or resign,

their next step we recently found out

about his former communicationsdirector Hope Hicks

she is now going to be joining Fox News

as I believe their VP of Communications

or their Communications Director.

That just happened yesterday.

So many former people wholeft the Trump administration

in good graces havebeen able to bounce back

or not really bounce back,

but it really enhanced their career

moved forward into the next chapter.

Which I'm sure AmbassadorHaley will be doing very soon.

- Let me recant a little bitof what I was just saying.

I'm just now getting wordthat Trump tells reporters

that Haley told him six months ago

that she was wanting to resign

that she would do it at theend of the two year period.

She asked that she wouldbe able to take a break

and Trump commented sayingshe's done a fantastic job

and we've done a fantastic job together.

So that just coming outfrom President Trump

again saying that Nikki Haley had told him

about six months agothat she was interested

in resigning from her position.

- Let's touch base a bit about

and we mentioned this in the past

Ambassador Haley'srelationship with Israel.

She was here in DC at the

Christians United For Israel Summit

in DC where she deliveredthe keynote address.

And she received anincredibly warm welcome.

And as we've been statingearlier how her role

that she played in fulfillingthe President's promise

of moving the embassyfrom Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

and recognizing essentially the truth

that Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel.

And the impact that ishaving in the peace process.

And at her address she talked about

now more than ever we mustdefend and protect Israel.

And she said the UN can be frustrating

and kind of a bizarre place.

But nowhere is it morepronounced than giving

her the opportunity to treat our friend

and our ally in this way

and make this monumental recognization

in moving the embassy there and doing it

in such a very short period of time.

I think when we first heardTrump make that announcement

we were all verysurprised that it was done

affordable as Trump continues to say

how he was able to lowerit from a billion dollars

to roughly just underhalf a million dollars.

And it recently opened andAmbassador Haley was there

as long as with Jared Kushnerwho was also instrumental

in that process.

And you're lookin' at some file video of

Ambassador Nikki Haley

who as you can see there on the screen

has decided to resignas the UN Ambassador.

She told her staff this morning.

And again it's still notclear what led up to this

announcement today.

But we will be finding out fairly soon

as President Trump is speakingwith reporters right now

in the Oval Office with Ambassador Haley

to give some of the detailsinto why and into what's next.

- And Ben if I may,

I wanna add a few commentsthat we're now learning

from their meeting andfrom that statement.

Haley said it has beenan honor of a lifetime

that is her directquote from her statement

with President Trump.

And I'm also told thatPresident Trump said

that she could come back at anytime.

I believe we're alsohearing that she has also

has made it very clearthat she does not intend

to run in 2020 against President Trump.

- [Ben] There you go.

We mentioned that just a short time ago

that her name was being thrown around

as a possible nominee orcandidate for the presidency.

And that just one ofthe reasons being is her

success in the UN and againher bipartisan support.

- [John] It's interesting President Trump

leaving the door open

for Nikki Haley to comeback to the administration

if she so chooses.

We know that after the two year mark,

and certainly when it getsto the end of the first term.

If President Trump should be re-elected,

that there's a lot of turnoverI would be very interested

in seeing what roles that he might have

in consideration for Nikki Haley.

What role she might beinterested in coming

back to the administration to take.

- And you're right John there is no doubt

been a significant amount of turnover

in the Trump administration.

And it's not quite franklyuncommon for people

to come and go throughout a presidency.

We've seen it happen inpast administrations.

But definitely AmbassadorHaley stepping down

after less than two years

was definitely a shock this morning.

And we're really interestedto get more insight

into that decision.

And it's clear her staffwas caught by surprise.

A couple of, Haley saidthe US is strong again

and as you were sayingJohn she does not plan

to run in 2020.

We're hearing that President Trump says

that Haley would like to take a break

and again he would welcome herback to his administration.

If she did choose to return.

And he did the exact samething with Hope Hicks.

When she left he said,

we're leaving on good terms

and if she would like to come back

and even said a week or so later

how he missed having heraround the White House.

The new reaction on the Hill,

speaker Paul Ryan just tweeted out

that Nikki Haley has been aclear, consistent, and powerful

voice for America's interestsand democratic principles

of the world stage.

She challenged friendand foe to be better.

I am saddened that she isleaving the administration

but so grateful for her service.

Thank you Nikki.

And I expect to hear moreresponses and reactions

from Senators throughout the day

and congressman and womenwho have been impacted

with her or who have workedwith her over the years.

And definitely a well likedperson in the administration.

I can tell you when they haveevents in the rose garden

or the east room andAmbassador Haley is there.

No doubt everyone is alwaysvery pleased to see her

and she's got a really goodrepertoire with the group.

- Let's put a bookmark right there

and just recap for anyonewho might be joining us now.

We are breaking into ournews channel coverage

to inform you that Nikki Haley,

the US Ambassador to the United Nations

has announced her resignation.

She is speaking with President Trump,

or she has been speakingwith President Trump

in the Oval Office to make a statement.

We are waiting for the tape to come back

so that we can play that for you.

Ben you were justhinting about Nikki Haley

and the sense of respect that she has

among her colleagues and her peers.

Can you give us moredescription about that.

How well respected is she withinthe White House West Wing?

- Well and not just theWhite House West Wing

but also in Congress and in the Senate

like we discussed earlier.

Right out the gate when she was a nominee

she was confirmed to bethe Ambassador of the UN

with a vote of 96 to four.

So right off the bat you can see,

okay she has bipartisan support.

And since she's been in the UN,

she's done a lot of goodfor the United States.

She's been an advocate for Israel

as we talked about before.

She's been a voice ofopposition against terrorism,

against Iran, against North Korea,

and she also did play a role in the

historic summit between President Trump

and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un.

And we're hearing thatthere'll be a second summit

coming up fairly soon.

It's gonna be interestingto see what kind of impact

all this will have on the midterms.

Which are less than 30 days away.

Kind of hard to believe,

but between BrettKavanaugh being confirmed

in a public ceremony last night

his first day on the job is today,

but his first day on the jobs

turns out is the last day on the job

for UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

And it just seems,

I'm sure you watch the news,

stick with us here at CBN.

It is just a nonstop at the White House.

Pretty much every single day,

there's a big story,major news is happening.

And you bet this is gonna be felt

throughout the United Nations.

'Cause as we were talkingabout Nikki Haley was

well liked and well respected there

as well as right here in the US.

- She's definitely seen as very effective

at the United Nations.

Haley is also addinghere are more statements

from her meeting with President Trump

that the United States is strong again.

She was apparently in the room with both

Jared Kushner and PresidentTrump's daughter Ivanka

and was apparently praising them

in their role as well.

And let's remember we saw Jared and Ivanka

at the embassy opening in Jerusalem

when the US embassy did movefrom Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

She also added emphaticallythat she is not

running in 2020.

So a lot of people probablymaking some guesses

in trying to figure outwhat this maneuver is about,

about the timing.

But she wanted to make it very clear

that she's not looking to run

against President Trump in 2020.

And President Trump did saythat he would welcome her back.

He left the door open for her to return

back into the administration at any time.

- And we mentioned earlier,

last time we saw the Ambassador

was a couple of weeks ago in New York City

when President Trump gaveone of the keynote addresses

at the UN there.

She also gave some remarks afterwards

and as John and I have been talking about

for the past several moments,

every time we've seen President Trump

with Ambassador Haleythey do always seem to be

in agreement and she was definitely one of

the key players in his administration

particularly in the United Nations

where it is needed now more than ever

with the trade disputes,

with the situation in Syria,

the terrorist attacks as well,

the strikes along the Gazaborder between Israel.

So she's been playing avery instrumental bold role

to protect those who need to be protected.

- That's right.

And you know we talked a little bit about

what motivates Nikki Haley

and we have mentioned it being a lot

a big source of thatwas her Christian faith.

Earlier this summer she spoke at

Christians United For Israel

and was quoted as saying

the United Nations isan interesting place.

There are times when itcan be a force for good

but the UN can also bean enormously frustrating

bizarre place.

Nowhere is that morepronounced than in the

truly awful way the UnitedNations has treated Israel

for decades.

So she talked abouthow her Christian faith

really inspired a lot ofthe actions that she took

at the United Nations to support Israel

and really to call outIran for its constant

antagonism of the state ofIsrael in the Middle East.

- Well and you've heard PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu

say the number onethreat to Israel is Iran.

He said that time and time again.

And it's a constant struggle in having

the United States as areally vocal strong ally

has been instrumental inattempting to maintain

peace in the region.

We've been waiting for months now

for the President and the White House

to unveil its Middle East peace deal.

A couple of weeks ago whenhe was at the United Nations

in New York President Trump said in about

three, four months time we plan to

release the details of how we plan to

kind of pave a path forpeace in the middle east

and no doubt Israel and Ambassador Haley

have been instrumental in that process.

One of the challenges has been

getting the PalestinianAuthority to the table.

President Mahmoud Abbashas not wanted anything

to do with Israel or the US.

And he's avoided or he's turned down talks

with Jared Kushner as wellas Vice President Mike Pence.

And no doubt Nikki Haleyas the UN Ambassador

I'm sure her and heroffice have been working

very diligently to try to bridge that gap

between those two countriesas well as the US.

It's kind of a tri-lateralas the US kind of being

the help to bridge a peace there.

And Ambassador Haleyhas been in the fight.

So losing her, we'll have to wait and see

what kind of impact that has with Israel.

But back to her faith,

I think what reallystruck me how she cited

that her faith in Jesus isthe reason for her support

in Israel.

And no doubt the Israeli people were

- Very much appreciated.- Correct.

- Ben, we have some sound that we recorded

with Nikki Haley earlierthis year in an interview

with Chief Political Analyst David Brody.

Let's play it out and thencome back and talk about it.

- I think every, everyone wants to think

that there's people around the President

that aren't just yes men or women

that they actually do push back.

I can tell you I met withthe President this morning

for an hour.

There were some thingsthat he may have liked

that I said,

and some things that he maynot have liked what I said.

But he asked me what my thoughts are,

and I tell him the truth.

But I tell him in private.

And I'm sure his relationshipwith Secretary Pompeo

and with Ambassador Bolton,

he's got his own kind ofrelationship with them.

But to his credit,

regardless of whether I saysomething he likes or not,

he's respectful, he listens to it,

and we have a conversation about it.

And that's what everyoneshould want in their President

is someone willing to hear the bad news.

Someone hearing to hearthings when they're not all

rosy and good.

And then sometimes we celebrate

'cause there's a lot ofgood things happening

in the country.

Whether it's the fact he was able to

get more defense spending in NATO,

whether it's the fact we'rereally starting to see

North Korea come to the table,

or we push back on Iran,

or that we've declaredJerusalem the Capital of Israel.

There's so many good things,

that sometimes when there's some negatives

that we need to talk about,

it's good to tell him andhe's great to listen to it.

- Again that was Nikki Haley.

I believe if I'm not mistaken

talking to David Brodyright before her appearance

at the Christians UnitedFor Israel Conference

earlier this year.

And just to repeat that shehas announced her resignation

however, the resignationwill not come into effect

until the end of the year.

She does plan on stayingthrough the end of the year.

- And we were told that President Trump

has accepted that resignation.

So it appears there will be some time for

the commander in chief to select someone

to replace Ambassador Haleyin the United Nations.

And I'm sure there's a very short list

him and his staff havealready put together.

And we wait to hear exactlywho he would like to see

fulfill that role.

And they have some big shoes to fill.

As we've been talkingabout a lot of issues

in the United Nations now more than ever.

So having someone kindof with the same attitude

and talent as AmbassadorHaley will be essential.

- You know we weretalking a little bit about

the timing of this again.

And some have suspected or speculating

that it had to do withthe anonymous letter

that was written in the New York Times

and just to quote a little bit from

an opposition or a response op-ed,

Nikki Haley and her ownop-ed that was published

in the Washington Post after being accused

of possibly writing the initial op-ed

said that she felt compelledto address the claims

in the anonymous resistancebecause it hurt the country

and it hurt the administration.

She said that she's not always in lockstep

with the President but she did she say

that it was a serious disservicenot just to the President

but to the country.

- We're also hearing that President Trump

sorry to break in right there.

So he just told reporters that Haley did

raise the possibility about six months ago

that she did plan to step down.

So it appears as not asurprise to the President

but definitely a bit of a surprise to us.

This goes back to what she was talking to

David Brody about.

If she ever kind of issuethen we have the one on one.

- Ben, we have the tape.

Let's go ahead and play it right now.

- Okay.

- Okay, well thank you very much everyone.

Before we begin I'll just say that

we're very well preparedfrom the incoming hurricane.

We have another one coming,so we've done very well.

North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Texas, Florida,

Puerto Rico so many places.

And we have another onecoming and a big one.

Much bigger than theyanticipated a week ago,

seven days ago.

I heard for the first timethere was a very small

drop of weather thatlooked like it was forming.

And now it's prettyclose to a category three

if it's not already a category three.

So we are very well prepared.

FEMA is ready, we're all ready.

I spoke with Governor Scott.

I spoke to everybodythat you have to speak to

and I think that hopefully we'll get lucky

but maybe that won't happen.

But we're prepared.

I wanted to do this because Nikki Haley

Ambassador to the United Nations has been

very special to me.

She's done an incredible job.

She's a fantastic person,

very importantly but she alsois somebody that gets it.

She has been at the UnitedNations from the beginning

with us from the beginning.

And worked with us on the campaign.

It's been really a long time.

Very intense and she toldme probably six months ago,

she said you know maybeat the end of the year,

at the end of a two yearperiod at the end of the year,

I wanna take a little time off.

I want to take a little break.

She's been a very successfulgovernor of South Carolina

for eight years.

And then she did this,

and this has possibly been more intense.

- Yes.

- With what's going on in the world.

And very dangerous and a lot of things.

But she's done a fantastic job

and we've done a fantastic job together.

We've solved a lot of problems

and we're in the process ofsolving a lot of problems.

At the beginning, NorthKorea was a massive problem

and now we're moving along.

It's moving along really nicely.

I can speak for Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo.

He thinks the world of Nikki

and so we're all happy for you in one way.

But we hate to lose you.

Hopefully you'll becoming back at some point.

And just maybe in a different capacity.

You can have your pick.

But I just want to let youknow so at the end of the year

Nikki will be leaving

and I will be in constanttouch I know that

whenever you have anyideas you're gonna call me

because you know all the players.

And that was really thething I think she did best

at the United Nations.

She got to know the players.

She got to know China, Russia, India,

she knows everybody ona very first name basis.

And they like her.

Except for maybe a couplewhich is normal, right.

They can't all like you but they do.

They really like her.

And I think maybe moreimportantly they respect her.

So Nikki I just wanted to tellyou that we will miss you.

We'll be speaking all the time,

but we'll miss you never the less.

You have done a fantastic job

and I wanna thank you very much.

- Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well I wanna say first of all

I want to thank the President for just

allowing us to come outand talk to you this way.

It has been an honor of a lifetime.

I said I am such a luckygirl to have been able

to lead the state that raised me.

And to serve a country I love so very much

has really been a blessing.

And I wanna thank you for that.

But I'm most excited,look at the two years.

Look at what has happened in two years

with the United States on foreign policy.

Now the United States is respected.

Countries may not like what we do,

but they respect what we do.

They know that if we saywe're gonna do something,

we follow it through.

And the President proved that.

Whether it was with thechemical weapons in Syria,

whether it's with NATOsaying that other countries

have to pay their share.

Whether it's the trade dealswhich have been amazing.

They get that the President means business

and they follow through with that.

But then if you look at justthese two years at the UN.

We cut 1.3 billion in the UN's budget.

We've made it stronger,we've made it more efficient,

South Sudan we got an arms embargo

which was a long time coming.

Three North Korean sanctions packages

which were the largest in a generation

done in a way that we could really work

towards de-nuclearizing North Korea.

The Iran deal, bringingattention to the world

that every country needs to understand

you can't overlook all thebad things they're doing.

You have to see them forthe threat that they are.

I think you look at the anti-Israel bias

and the strength and couragethat the President showed

in moving the embassy

and showing the rest of the world

we will put our embassy wherewe want to put our embassy.

You know all of those thingshave made a huge difference

in the US Standing.

But I can tell you that it's,

the US is strong again.

And the US is strong ina way that should make

all Americans very proud.

And I do wanna say thatit's not just the President

I wanna thank, the family in general.

The First Lady has been nothingbut very, very kind to me.

I can't say enough goodthings about Jerad and Ivanka.

Jerad is such a hidden geniusthat no one understands.

I mean to redo the NAFTAdeal the way he did.

What I've done working with him on

the Middle East Peace Plan,

it is so unbelievably well done.

And Ivanka's been just a great friend.

And they do a lot ofthings behind the scenes

that I wish more people knew about

because we're a bettercountry because they're

in this administration.

I also just have to saycertainly thank you to my family.

Michael is a saint.

And my two little ones, I adore them.

And to team USUN.

They sacrificed a lot.

They put a lot of time and energy into it.

But they have a lot of heart

and really wanted to make America proud.

And so with that,

I'm not leaving until the end of the year.

My goal is that we makesure that everything

is in good place.

And for the next Ambassador to come in.

But it's a great day in the United States

and I'm proud to havebeen part of the team.

Now I don't have anythingset on where I'm gonna go.

I think that the main thing was

I was governor for six years.

And we dealt with a hurricane,

a 1,000 year flood, a church shooting,

a school shooting.

It was a lot and then tocome in and do two years

of Russia, and Iran, and North Korea.

It's been eight years of intense time.

And I'm a believer in term limits.

I think you have to beselfless enough to know

when you step aside and allowsomeone else to do the job.

So thank you Mr. President.- Thank you.

- It's been an honor of a lifetime.

And I will say this for all of you

that are gonna ask about 2020.

No I am not running for 2020.

I can promise you what I'll be doing

is campaigning for this one.

So I look forward tosupporting the President

in the next election.

- That's so good.

Thank you Nikki.

- [Reporter] Ambassador Haley

you have a long list of accomplishments.

Why would you want toleave that all behind?

Is it merely a personal decision

because you've been awayfrom your family for so long?

Or something else too?

- You know my family is very supportive.

So there no, there's no personal reason.

But I think that it's just very important

for government officials to understand

when it's time to step aside.

And I have given everythingI've got these last 8 years.

And I do think that sometimesit's good to rotate in

other people who can put thatsame energy and power into it.

So there really is a lot of people

who are gonna wanna saythere's a lot of reasons

why I'm leaving.

The truth is I wanna makesure that this administration,

the President has thestrongest person to fight.

It was a blessing to go into the UN

with body armor everyday and defend America.

And I'll always do that.

I'll never truly step asidefrom fighting for our country.

But I will tell you I think it's time.

- [Reporter] And Mr. President why make

the announcement now asopposed to after the midterms?

- Well Nikki is going to be staying until

the end of the year.

Which will be just about two years.

And I just think and I was just

as Nikki was speaking I was thinking

when we came into office,

it was almost inevitablein the minds of many

that we were going towar with North Korea.

If you ask President ObamaI'm sure he'll tell you

that that was by far his biggest problem

when we sat and met right here.

But that looked like a real problem.

Iran looked like a real problem.

It was a question ofwhen would they take over

the Middle East prior to my coming here.

And now Iran is fighting for their lives.

They've got riots in all their cities.

It's blowing up their inflation.

Their economy is in tatters.

And at some point they'll probably come

and wanna make a real deal.

Not the deal that they made,

the ridiculous deal that they made

that was unacceptable to meand so we'll see what happens.

But what a difference betweenIran when we first came.

I'd like to say the day before we came

and also if you look at North Korea.

There was a deal it was something

that was a devastatingpotentially devastating problem

and now the relationships are very good.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just left,

had a great meeting.

Also he was in China spoketo many of the Asian leaders

or went there and had some good meetings.

But had a really very goodmeeting with North Korea

and Chairman Kim and we've just been a lot

of so many other fronts also.

And I think the world, as Nikki said,

the world is really respectingthe United States again.

Much more so they have than they have in

many, many decades.

We are respected again,that I can tell you.

Very much respected again.

And people wanna be on our side.

Even if you look at thevotes in the United Nations.

I mean votes that we wouldnormally get no votes

we're getting very strong votes now.

So I just wanna thank Nikki

and I thought this wouldbe an appropriate way

of doing it because when you write it out

on a piece of paper thatAmbassador Haley will be leaving

and you say nice things.

People say well what's going on.

This is the right way to do it.

And when you really thinksomebody's done a terrific job.

I felt this was anappropriate way of doing it

and we both liked it.

So I just wanna thank the Ambassador,

I just wanna thank Nikki okay.

- [Reporter] Mr President

who are you thinkingabout for a successor?

- Well we have a number of people

that would very much like to do it.

It's a great position.

And Nikki realized that.

She's I think she's helpedmake it a much better position

if you wanna know the truth.

I think it's become maybea more glamorous position

than it was two years ago.

Maybe, I wonder why, but it is.

I mean she's made it avery glamorous position.

She's made it a more importantlya more important position.

So we have, I can almost say,

many people that wanna do itand they're very good people.

I'll be talking also to Nikki about that

and to the General aboutthat and to my staff.

But we have many people that are

very, very much interested in doing it.

- [Reporter] Used a source of Mike Pompeo.

Are you frustrated by thelack of actual announcements

that have been coming

- No. Not only am I not frustrated,

I think it's incredible what's happening.

You're talking about North Korea?

It's amazing the way the media,

who are you with?

- [Reporter] The France Media Group.

- With who?

- France Media Group.

- [Nikki] France.

- So it's amazing the way the media says

that you know for 80 yearsthey couldn't do a thing

and I'm what are we inthree months of negotiation,

it's ridiculous.

As I've said about a thousand times

you have no rockets flying,you have no missiles flying,

you have no nuclear testing.

You have nuclear closings.

They're closing up differentareas of North Korea.

We're getting the remains back.

It's already started of our great heroes.

We got our hostages back

and I didn't pay $1.8 billion like

the previous administration.

We got our I paid nothing.

But I have agreed to meet,

and I have agreed to spend time.

But how long has it beensince we left Singapore

was three months or so.

And people say that's the media saying

how could we be negative.

Let's see he's done really well,

how can we be negative.

Oh are you disappointed with the speed?

I think the speed is amazing.

We have no nuclear tests,you have no rockets.

And we have a very goodrelationship with Chairman Kim.

Which is very important.

I like him, he likes me.

The relationship is good.

Mike Pompeo had a very, very good meeting.

And I spoke to him at length yesterday.

And he will be coming back,he'll be back tonight.

And so I mean just the opposite.

I think we've made incredible progress,

beyond incredible, beyond it.

I don't think that some of the press,

some of the press reallycovers it accurately and right

but some of the press really doesn't.

Yes, John?

- [John] Do you wannatake this opportunity

to tell us when your next meeting

with Kim will be and where it will be?

- Well it is happening andwe're setting that up right now.

That was part of the reasonthat Mike was going over there

to meet they're setting up the meeting

and we'll be announcing that at probably

a different location.

Singapore was fantastic,

but we'll probably doa different location.

- [John] Can you get him to Mar a Lago?

- He'd probably likethat, I'd like that too.

I think it would be good.

But I will say we're talking about

three or four different locations.

Timing won't be too far away.

We've made a lot of progress.

And this meeting really is to,

you know people don'trealize the importance

of the first meeting.

I mean we said point numberone de-nuclearization.

And for some reason thepress doesn't pick that up.

But that was actually point number one.

They've agreed to de-nuclearization.

And they continue to agree.

And they continue,

now we haven't removedsanctions as you know.

People said what have we done?

We haven't removed sanctions.

We have very big sanctions.

I'd love to remove them,

but we have to get something for doing it.

- [Reporter] Any chance themeeting could be on US soil?

- Well I don't wannaembarrass anybody by asking.

I think eventually we're gonna have

lots of meetings on US soil.

And on their soil by the way.

That's a two way street.

On their soil also.

I think that the country of North Korea

is gonna be a very successful country.

I think it's gonna be incrediblyeconomically successful.

And I wanna make it that way.

I think it's going to be good.

Other countries, otherpeople, entrepreneurs, banks.

I will tell you they're calling

wanting to go there and wanting to invest

at some point when ChairmanKim makes that decision.

I think he's going to unleash something

that's going to be spectacular,really spectacular.

And I think he knows it.

And I think that's one of the reasons

that we are having verysuccessful conversations.

I think he wants to get on with it.

- [Reporter] Mr. Presidentwhen will a successor

to Ambassador Haley be named?

- Yes, excuse me?

- [Reporter] When will a successor to

Ambassador Haley be named. When?

- What did he say?

- When will a successor benamed for the ambassador?

- Oh, I would say we'll name a successor

I don't know within thenext two or three weeks.

Maybe sooner.

- [Reporter] Mr. President have you spoken

to the Saudis about the missilelaunches the press reports?

- I have not. No I haven't.

But I will be. At some point.

- [Reporter] What doyou know at this point?

- I know nothing right now.

I know what everybodyelse does, nothing. Yes?

- [Reporter] What's yourresponse to Hilary Clinton

saying last night's swearingin of Judge Kavanaugh

was more a political eventthan it was a national event.

- I guess that's why she lost.

She doesn't get it.

She never did.

I knew that a long time ago.

Hilary never got it.

That's why she lost.

Anything else?

- [Reporter] Sir midtermsare in four weeks,

what's your predictionright now for the GOP

and how's your staminaout on the campaign trail?

- I think we're gonna do well.

What you people wouldsay I guess if you saw

there was a five percentdrop off you'd say

there's something wrongwith the President.

You would say but no I'mgoing to Iowa tonight.

We have a big, big crowd.

Gonna make a big announcementtonight by the way in Iowa.

We'll be making a very big announcement.

And I have to say thefarmers are so thrilled

with the USMCA the new agreement.

I don't use the word NAFTA because NAFTA

was a disaster for our country.

NAFTA, we lost millionsand millions of jobs,

thousands and thousandsof factories and plants.

Bad for farmers.

You look what happened tofarmers over the last 15 years,

it's only gone down.

Now they're gonna go up.

We just opened up Mexico,

we just opened up Canada.

And it's great for our farmers.

But I'm going to Iowa tonight

and we'll be talking alittle ethanol tonight.

And got some great things planned.

And speaking of that I will say

if you look at industries.

The steel industry in this country is back

like nothing I've ever seen before.

In a period of six months since we started

doing what I'm doing,

the steel industry has literally revived.

US Steel is opening up eight plants

and Newcorp is opening up.

Everybody is, the steelindustry in our country

is really, really hot.

So it's been, it's really been great.

So I'll be going to Iowa tonight.

- [Reporter] What aboutSecretary Pompeo's meeting

with China?

How did that go?

- Very well.

No very well. We have avery good relationship

with China but you know they took out

500 billion out of our countryfor many years each year.

And we just can't let that happen.

This should've been talkedabout by people in this chair

for many years.

For years and years they were taking out

200, 300, 400 and even 500billion dollars a year.

We helped rebuild China.

If we don't do that China's not

what are they gonna write down?

And that's fine with me.

But we're not doing it any longer.

- [Reporter] You promisedmore tariffs on China

if they retaliate?

- Oh sure, absolutely.

- [Reporter] Are you gonnago forward with that?

- 100% if they do that.

If they retaliate, whatdoes retaliate mean?

They've already retaliated.

They've taken out $500 billion.

I think that's the ultimate retaliation.

No look China wants to make a deal.

And I say they're not ready yet.

I just say they're not ready yet.

And we've canceled a couple of meetings

because I just say they'renot ready to make a deal.

We can't have a one way street.

It's gotta be a two way street.

It's been a one way street for 25 years.

We've gotta make it a two way street.

We've gotta benefit also. Okay, thank you.

Any other questions?

So I just wanna finishbecause this is really

the pure reason for this is

Nikki, you've been fantastic.

You're my friend.

And on behalf of the country,

I wanna thank you for a great job.

Thank you, Nikki, Thank you.

- I appreciate you thank you.

- Thank you very much everybody.

Thank you, thank you.

(crowd speaking)

- And that was NikkiHaley with President Trump

in the Oval Officeannouncing her resignation

as the US Ambassador to the United Nations

which will come at the end of the year.

Fulfilling two years at the United Nations

also calling this an honor of a lifetime.

She ticked off her list of accomplishments

which range from reforms ofthe United Nations sanctions

on bad actors on the global stage

and adding that the USis really respected now

on the world stage.

Ben as White House Correspondent

you covered the administration.

What are your thoughts?

- Well first Ambassador Haley said

look this is not personal.

She said when it's time to step aside,

I have given everything I got

rotated new people to bring new energy

she said she agrees in term limits.

And then she kind of talked about

her achievements in the UN.

For one, they cut $1.3million in the UN budget.

They made it stronger, made it efficient.

And then she talked about Israel.

She said look at the UNhas an anti-Israel bias

and it took strength andcourage in moving the embassy.

She also said look we'll put our embassy

where we wanna put our embassy.

And that definitely was the case moving

it from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

She ended saying lookthe US is strong again

and she said she willnever truly step aside

in serving the country.

She made it very clear,

John that she does not planto run in 2020 as President.

And President Trump also fielded questions

about well what's next.

He said look I have a shortlist of very strong candidates

and I hope to release a namein the next two or three weeks.

- So we'll all be waiting to hear

who is on that list.

- Oh no doubt.

- And what he has to say about that.

And as you just said Ben.

Although her term endsat the end of the year

she said that she'll never truly give up

fighting for our country.

Well that wraps up our livebreaking news coverage.

We now return you toprogramming already in progress.