Another Trump appointee will leave his administration. But this time, it’s entirely different, not fired, not “asked” to leave, and not under a cloud of malfeasance, incompetence, or corruption.

United Nations Ambassador, Nikki Haley, took the Washington establishment and the media by surprise with her resignation. Informing us of how unusual this is, politicians and the electronic media nitwits are scratching their heads, wondering why she would do such a thing. And why right before the November elections?

The media clones like to dumb down complex issues like medical care, foreign trade, and the national debt. This, while they make simple events more complex than they really are.  An unexpected resignation, however logical, sounds dramatic, affording the talking heads an incident on which to sound thoughtful and wise when no such wisdom required.

Quite simply, Haley, being the ambitious, rational politician that she is, decided to get out while the getting is good. There is absolutely nothing complicated or mysterious here.

Some departed Trump appointees were clearly corrupt to begin with. Former H&HS Secretary, Tom Price, is the poster boy for this category. Trump ally Stave Bannon had sharp differences and disputes with White House staff, including Trump’s children serving in the administration. Pragmatists including NSA Director, H.R. McMaster, fell out of favor, although he never was really in favor. Former FBI Director, James Comey, not a Trump appointee, was just unceremoniously sacked. 

Top appointees, such as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, are hanging on by a thread. An early supporter of the president, Sessions has endured constant humiliation and surely will be gone after the election.  Chief of Staff, John Kelly, is increasingly marginalized. Rumors persist about him either being sacked or “asked” to resign if he doesn’t bail out on his own.

Even Secretary of Defense Mattis, the least deferential to Trump, and the most capable of his appointees, has an uncertain future in the administration, especially considering his differences with Secretary of State Pompeo and NSA Director Bolton.

In addition to the historically long list of administration officials leaving under a cloud, often with blemished reputations, competent people refuse to join the Trump team when invited to do so. Trump uses fear, intimidation, and uncertainty as a weapon of control. Under these conditions, competent people understandably refuse to put their credibility and future careers on the line. 

In contrast to the gaggle of mostly misfits and suede shoe artists that have left the Trump Administration, Haley leaves on her own volition, on a high note, and with the support of Trump himself. She faithfully carried out Trump’s hard line foreign policies while placing a softer touch on them. To the extent she had differences with Trump she conveyed them in such a way as to retain his support.  In contrast to President George W. Bush’s UN Ambassador, John Bolton, who openly despises the UN, Haley leaves the impression that she values the role of the UN. 

 Among the publicized events of her service with the UN was how she handled a put down by Trump’s tough talking chief economic advisor, Larry Kudlow. Save for some vacillating views on foreign trade, Kudlow knows absolutely nothing about foreign policy. Actually, some of us assert that this peddler of supply-side economic snake oil doesn’t know much about economics either. But that’s another story.

So, regarding America’s policy toward Russia, Kudlow very stupidly accused Haley of being confused. Haley promptly let Kudlow, and anyone else listening, know that “I don’t get confused.” Her response was firm, yet civil enough, that it gained traction in the media — to the extent that the bellicose Kudlow publicly apologized, a rare response from a Trump team member.

Haley clearly has higher political ambitions, and will be a force to reckon with. When initially appointed to the UN, she was criticized that, as Governor of South Carolina, she had no foreign policy experience. In addition to executive experience, she now has the foreign policy experience that few politicians that might challenger her can match.

Make no mistake about it —Haley is a very conservative  Republican. She is also very calculating and was successful in walking the tight wire between being faithful to Trump while, with a soft touch, clearly not being pushed around regarding differences.

The timing of her resignation makes perfect sense. By assuring Trump that she is not a candidate for the presidency in 2020, she still has Trump’s support, and presumably Trump’s supporters in the future. 

Meanwhile, she can profit financially by giving lucratively rewarded speeches to various audiences. With her telegenic presence, she is already a darling of the media, and will surely enhance her status until the next political opportunity presents itself. That could happen sooner rather than later. 

Another darling of the media, South Carolina Senator, Lindsey Graham, initially labeled Trump as a disaster and a conman. With Trump’s high Republican support, Graham now seems to believe that Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Graham’s blind rage and rant against Democrats during the Kavanaugh hearings is widely acknowledged as an audition to replace the hapless Jeff Sessions when he inevitably gets booted. Graham claims that he’s not interested in being Trump’s AG. But Graham has demonstrated that he can change with the wind.

Were Graham to be appointed to the position that he claims not to want, Haley would be a surefire bet to replace him in the Senate. If Graham is not appointed, Haley has the golden opportunity to enhance her personal wealth and status as a darling of the media.

There are several potentially viable Democratic candidates advocating policies that are much better for the nation as a whole than anything the Republicans, including Haley, are touting.  However, the catch is that Democrats have to be a lot tougher, and a whole lot smarter and effective at getting their voters to the polls, than they have been.

 — John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Saturdays in the Monroe Times.