she did not want to leave the administration after the midterm election, should the gop lose the house, i'm told. she did not want to look like she was abandoning the president if the democrats rout the republicans in the mid terms. at a time when the white house is struggling with female voters, a major loss for president trump. as united nations ambassador nikki haley, one of the highest-ranking women in the trump administration, is stepping down. >> we hate to lose -- hopefully, you'll be coming back at some point. but you are just -- maybe a different capacity. you can have your pick. but i just want to let you know. so at the end of the year, nikki will be leaving. and it will be in constant touch. >> reporter: haylee wanted to make one thing clear. she is not leaving to pursue her own political ambitions. >> and i will say this. for all of you that are going to ask about 2020, no, i am not running for 2020. i can promise you what i'll be doing is campaigning for this one. so i look forward to supporting the president in the next election.