President-elect Donald Trump ruled out two of his previous Cabinet members -- former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley -- to be part of his upcoming administration.
Trump, 78, was elected as the 47th president of the United States. He defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, 60, in the elections held on November 5. In the first term, Trump served as the 45th president from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021.
'I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Pompeo served as the CIA Director and Secretary of State in his first term, while Haley served as his ambassador to the United Nations in the first two years of his presidency. Both his cabinet-ranking officials later entered the presidential race against him in the Republican primaries.
While Pompeo dropped from the race early, Haley was the last challenger against Trump till February this year.
Later on, the two endorsed his campaign. Haley announced her support for Trump during the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin in July this year.
However, in his post, Trump thanked his two former Cabinet officials for their service.
'I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Trump said.
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Biden invites Trump for meeting at White House on Nov 13
Outgoing United States President Joe Biden has invited his successor President-elect Donald Trump for a meeting at the White House on November 13, which would formally begin the presidential transition.
"At President Biden's invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 am," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The meeting between the outgoing president and the incoming one is ceremonial and is seeped into decades old tradition. It is generally held in the Oval Office during which the outgoing president gives the president-elect a briefing about the key agenda of the country.
The president-elect is also given a tour of the White House. It involves a meeting between the First Lady and the incoming First Lady. This is only the second time in American history that a president is re-elected after a gap of four years.
In this case, President-elect Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of the United States for four years beginning January 20, 2017, and First Lady Melania Trump are familiar with the workings of the White House and a presidential administration.
The customary meeting between the outgoing and incoming president, which signifies a peaceful transfer of power, was paused in 2020 when Trump had not conceded the election. He also did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Joe Biden.
A similar meeting between outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and her successor J D Vance is also being scheduled.
