Laughing With Nikki

The United States’ ambassador to the United Nations is doing something unusual. She’s leaving the Trump administration without her middle finger in the air. She’s not being forced out for a scandal, quitting in anger, or discovering she’s being fired through Twitter while sitting on a toilet.

The former governor of South Carolina is one of the few high-profile women in the Trump administration. Sources within the White House say she’s leaving because of fatigue (we’re all fatigued from this administration, Nikki) and that she wanted to leave before the midterms to avoid embarrassing Trump in case the election doesn’t go his way, which it probably won’t.

Haley is staying until the end of the year and Trump says he’ll name her successor within the next three weeks. One name that’s popped up is his daughter, Ivanka. Yes. Seriously. Haley said that Ivanka’s husband, Mr. Ivanka is “such a hidden genius that no one understands.” She’s right. I don’t understand that statement. Referring to the couple, she also said, “Ivanka has been just a great friend, and they do a lot of things behind the scenes that I wish more people knew about.” We do too. We’d love to know what they’re doing behind the scenes. Maybe it would explain why our government punishes nations that refuse to give loans to Jared’s company.

Haley is also one of the few in the administration with her reputation still intact. She was critical of Trump before he became the nominee, saying we shouldn’t be tempted by his hatred and calling for him to release his taxes, yet she eagerly accepted the UN post. She has aspirations for higher office and needed experience with foreign policy. But, how well can she run for office in the future on a platform of Trump’s foreign policy?

During her tenure, she announced new sanctions against Russia only for the White House to announce the next day that the sanctions weren’t happening and that Haley was confused. The Ambassador responded with, “I don’t get confused.” I’m not sure about that as she had previously warned that a Trump administration could start World War III, and took the job, and now plans to campaign for Trump in 2020. Maybe she is confused.

While Trump has been afraid to level any criticism toward Russia and Vladimir Putin, and sides with the dictator over American intelligence, Haley has strongly criticized Russia.

Also, during her tenure, the U.S. embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem, which the rest of the civilized world disagreed with. Then, Haley announced she was “taking names” at the United Nations of the countries that voted to reject Trump’s move of the embassy. The U.S. also stripped funding for the Palestinians and pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Representing The United States, she voted against a U.N. resolution titled “The Question of the Death Penalty”, which condemned the use of capital punishment when “applied arbitrarily or in a discriminatory manner” and specifically condemned “the imposition of the death penalty as a sanction for specific forms of conduct, such as apostasy, blasphemy, adultery and consensual same-sex relations.” What in that language did the Trump administration find disagreeable? That vote went in line with the U.S. withdrawal from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council.

Haley has been accused of violating executive branch regulations against accepting gifts. In 2017, she and her husband accepted seven free flights on luxury private aircraft from three South Carolina businessmen, which is probably worth tens of thousands of dollars. Her defense is that the political donors don’t qualify as donors to her, because they’re friends.

Haley is in debt for over a million dollars, and she has two kids headed to college. So, one reason she may have to resign now is to make some mega bucks for at least a couple of years in the private sector. That sounds much more plausible than the Senate theory.

Some speculate that Trump will fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the midterms, replace him with his newest poodle, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and then the governor of that state will appoint the Senate seat to Haley. I don’t think there are teeth to that as she wouldn’t need to resign her U.N. job at this time for that scenario. Joining the Republicans in the Senate would probably make her miss the Iranians and North Koreans at the U.N.

Donald Trump claimed the world was laughing at us during the Obama administration. During his last address to the U.N., the world literally laughed at him. The United States has become a laughingstock during Haley’s tenure at the U.N. While she claimed they weren’t laughing at Trump, but with him, it will be a hurdle in her future.

America’s foreign policy is a mess since Trump took office. We criticize Canada while praising dictators, with the president even stating he “fell in love” with Kim Jong Un. Respect for the United States has decreased significantly.

So, when Haley runs for future office on her accomplishments with Trump’s foreign policy, I hope she notices that they’re NOT laughing with her.

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.