United States President-elect Donald Trump has picked Indian-American South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the United Nations in his administration.
The decision has comes at a time when Trump aides are looking to diversify the appointments in his administration. Haley's selection in Trump's team marks the first female appointment to a Cabinet level post by the Republican businessman.
Haley is considered a rising Republican star and has seen a remarkable political rise ever since she was elected as South Carolina's first female governor.
Haley had backed Florida senator Marco Rubio in the primaries, who was running for the US presidency this year. However, she later came out in support for Trump ahead of the elections and said that she would be voting for him in New York.
Haley's appointment to the top post, however, is going to raise questions regarding her qualifications to be selected for a key foreign policy role since she has not had much diplomatic experience in her political career as a state lawmaker and a governor.
Haley is expected to bring racial and gender diversity in Trump's cabinet. Before joining politics in 2004, Haley used to work in her family's Lexington clothing store. The South Carolina governor's husband, Michael, was deployed for almost a year in Afghanistan with the South Carolina Army National Guard in 2013.
Haley had seemed to negate Trump's campaign rhetoric earlier this year, asking people to "resist the temptation" after "siren call of the angriest voices." She is also pro-immigrant as she rubbished the anti-immigrant ideologies, stating "no one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country."
The governor was appreciated for her calm and handling of the Charleston church shooting and the historic flood in the city. The appointment as the UN ambassador would be Haley's first post in the federal government.
