U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is rising as one of the leading foreign policy figures of the Trump administration.
In Haley's own words, there's a "new sheriff" in town. She has had no problem in speaking out against Russia or calling out the U.N. for bias towards Israel. After Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people, Haley wasted no time in denouncing the Assad regime's actions as well as their ally Russia.
Haley's vigorous statements have made her one of the top voices articulating the Trump administration's foreign policy, and her sudden rise in influence has caught the media by surprise.
In a New York Magazine article titled "Is Nikki Haley Improvising Her Way to Great Power?" the author begrudgingly praises Haley for her work as the U.N. ambassador.
"Since her foreign-policy background prior to getting this job was exactly zilch, it’s not like anyone is deferring to her expertise or the deep respect she inspires among the world’s decision-makers. So, what gives?" Ed Kilgore writes.
He later adds that Haley's success had to do with luck.
"So we definitely know by now that Haley has serious political skills, and has benefited from a lot of luck. But she had better watch her back if she is indeed disrespecting not just career diplomats or her foreign-policy bosses, but also the policy-making autonomy of Donald Trump."
New York Times reporter Somini Sengupta writes that Haley has been given an unusual amount of power.
Nikki Haley dismissed the U.N. Human Rights Council as "so corrupt" without offering evidence https://t.co/tK4Jm6qAR1 pic.twitter.com/DeCmLhz226
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) March 30, 2017
Washington Post writer Daniel Drezner called Haley "ordinary."
Why the ordinary @nikkihaley is exercising extraordinary influence over Trump's foreign policy. https://t.co/upFcsMMjsN
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) April 11, 2017
Huffington Post published a piece suggesting that Haley is the new Kellyanne Conway. The article also accuses Haley of having no idea what U.S. policy is on Syria.
"Despite not having any idea of what the U.S. policy on Syria is, or is going to be, Haley went on show after show explaining and praising President Trump’s actions, almost succeeding at making Donald Trump sound like a brilliant military strategist," the author writes.
The author insisted that a big part of Haley's job is to distract the public.
"Is Nikki Haley the new explainer-in-chief? If like Conway, a big part of Haley’s job is trying to make the public focus on the abstract instead of the specific, then the answer is yes."
Vogue magazine contributor Michelle Ruiz called Haley's explanation of Trump's proposed travel restrictions "pathetic" and "uninformed."
.@nikkihaley attempting to justify Trump's travel ban under the guise of "safety" "as a mom" is pathetic & uninformed.
— Michelle Ruiz (@michelleruiz) April 9, 2017
From begrudging praise to accusing her of not knowing what her job is, the media is having difficulty in figuring out how to handle the U.N.'s new "sheriff."