WATCH: @TODAYshow's @MLauer asks UN Ambassador @nikkihaley: Can you imagine running for president? https://t.co/4Ol73PURVv
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 17, 2017
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says a presidential run is far from her mind right now.
“I can’t, I can’t imagine it,” Haley said when asked about a potential White House bid on NBC’s “Today” Friday.
“What I can tell you is I’m trying to survive the United Nations right now, and I’m loving it.”
{mosads}Haley, the former GOP governor of South Carolina, noted that buzz about running for president has followed her during her entire career.
“I’m smiling because they said it when I was a governor; they’ll say it now; they’ll always say it,” she said, grinning at host Matt Lauer’s questioning. “But I’ll tell you that I’ve never planned ahead because I love the surprises of what comes around in life.”
Haley, considered a rising Republican star, was confirmed as America’s ambassador to the U.N. in January.
The former governor delivered the GOP response to former President Obama’s final State of the Union address in January 2016.
Time magazine last April selected Haley as one of its “100 Most Influential People,” citing her leadership in South Carolina the year before.
Haley’s current role has her assuming a higher profile on the global stage by advancing U.S. foreign policy.
The diplomat on Wednesday warned that the U.S. “should never trust Russia,” contrasting with President Trump’s repeated calls for warmer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.