Pompeo and Haley Position Themselves as the Republican Standard-Bearers After Trump

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on as then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks at the State Department in Washington on June 19, 2018. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

As the Republican establishment reaffirms its fealty to U.S. President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention (RNC), two of the president’s most influential lieutenants appear to be vying for a bit of the spotlight themselves—and potentially positioning themselves for party leadership in a post-Trump era.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations, devoted their prime-time addresses to promoting the president’s policy achievements in which they played a leading role.