Trump set to announce Elise Stefanik as his UN ambassador
Donald Trump is set to select New York Representative Elise Stefanik as the US ambassador to the United Nations, according to reports.
The 40-year-old GOP lawmaker is said to have accepted the president-elect’s offer after Trump made a statement to the New York Post on Sunday evening.
“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement.
Two sources familiar with the matter first told CNN on Sunday evening that Trump had offered Stefanik the ambassadorial role, moments before the congresswoman confirmed her hire.
“I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” she said in a statement confirming her acceptance of the role to The Post.
“During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate.”
The UN ambassador role, which is currently held by Linda Thomas-Greenfield under the Biden Administration, is vital to global cooperation and security. Stefanik’s upcoming appointment comes as conflicts continue across the Middle East and Ukraine.
She added: “President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead — both at home and abroad.
“America continues to be the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek.”
Stefanik, who hails from upstate New York, marks Trump’s third official hire of his incoming administration after he secured a historic second term last week.
The Republican candidate surpassed the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes early on Wednesday after clinching several must-win swing states.
Trump has announced that he will rehire Tom Homan, the former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director in his first term, as his “Border Czar,” he wrote on Truth Social late on Sunday evening. Susie Wiles, the former co-chair of the Trump campaign, is also set to be appointed Trump’s chief of staff.
Unlike Homan and Wiles, Stefanik’s appointment will need to be approved by the Senate.
The announcement comes 24 hours after Trump announced his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley will not be a part of his second administration.
Who is Elise Stefanik?
At just 30-years-old, Stefanik was the youngest ever woman to sit in the lower chance when she was elected to the House in 2014. Initially seen as a more moderate conservative, the congresswoman has since shifted more to the right and becoming a staunch Trump ally.
The fourth-ranking House Republican endorsed the then-GOP candidate during the 2016 election cycle, despite noting that Trump’s lewd remarks in a 2005 conversation with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush that resurfaced months from Election Day were “just wrong.”
She was vocal in her opposition to the president-elect’s first impeachment in 2019 and backed baseless claims surrounding interference in the 2020 election and sought to get the outcome overturned.
In May 2021, Stefanik replaced Trump’s most vocal Republican critic Liz Cheney as GOP conference chair.
Stefanik’s stance on Ukraine-Russia War
Stefanik was fierce outspoken against both President Joe Biden and Russia’s “bloodthirsty, authoritarian dictator,” Vladimir Putin when Russia launched its invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
“Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and deranged thug. We must stand with democracies under assault,” she wrote in a statement at the time.
More than two years on, the congresswoman was one of 112 Republicans that voted against sending $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine.
“I cannot support billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars of non-lethal aid while Joe Biden continues his failure to address his crisis at our southern border,” she said in a statement to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise in April.
Stefanik’s stance on the Middle East
In statement in May, Stefanik described herself as a longterm “proponent and partner” to Trump in his “historic support for Israeli independence and security”.
She has continued to defend Israel’s response following the Hamas October 7 attacks and has garnered national attention after questioning Ivy League presidents about antisemitism on college campuses.
In May, she went to Israel to speak in front of Jewish and Pro-Israel Students on Campuses Around the World, stating: “There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel.”
Stefanik has repeatedly called the UN antisemitic for its opposition to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Last month, she called for a “complete reassessment of U.S. funding of the United Nations”.
“Thankfully the Biden-Harris Administration’s rewarding of terrorists at the expense of our great ally Israel is coming to an end,” she wrote on X on Sunday.
The Independent has contacted both Trump and Stefanik’s representatives for more information.