44 year old Nikki Haley has long been considered a rising star in the Republican Party. She is the first female Indian American to become a Governor of any state in the US.
During the primaries in the lead up to the 2016 federal US elections, she had backed Senator Marco Rubio as the presidential nominee. However, just a few days before the elections, Haley came out publicly in support of Trump, saying that she would be voting for the billionaire tycoon on Nov 8.
Born into the Randhawa family of Indian immigrants of Sikh heritage, Haley would bring both racial and gender diversity to Trump's cabinet. But there are doubts about her experience and suitability for a high profile position like Secretary of State.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is a strong contender for the position, and Twitter is buzzing with tweets in his support. One tweet goes as far as calling Haley a traitor..
Please no "Nikki Haley". Rudy G is a sound choice with an extremely impressive resume. Haley is a traitor @realDonaldTrump
In a conference call with reporters last night, Trump's transition team spokesman Sean Spicer listed 44-year-old Haley as one of the candidates the President-elect would be meeting today (Thursday, US time).
Earlier yesterday, a close aide of Trump from South Carolina said that Haley was being considered for a Cabinet position, including that of the Secretary of State.
"It would be like how Mr Trump is bringing fresh eyes to running our government," South Carolina Lt Governor Henry McMaster told The Post and Courier. The daily did not provide any other details.
Source: Twitter
The Trump transition team has so far not given any indication of who all will be filling various Cabinet positions. The President-elect himself has tweeted that only he knows the final list.
Neither the office of the South Carolina Governor nor the Trump transition team have responded to this report so far.
Haley is reportedly the second Indian-American name being floated for a Cabinet position in the Trump administration. Former Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal is also appearing in many short lists of potential Cabinet names.
