President-elect Donald Trump has picked Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik for the role of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
Stefanik is one of the first appointments announced by Trump for his incoming administration since he won this year’s presidential election last Tuesday. Trump’s team told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement on Monday that he was excited to bring Stefanik into his administration for the key role, citing her “strong” qualities.
“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 of Stefanik, according to a statement provided to the DCNF by spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Stefanik expressed that she was ready and willing to take the position, according to The New York Post.
“I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Stefanik told 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.”
“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,” Stefanik said.
Stefanik is set to replace Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Joe Biden’s current U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Thomas-Greenfield has been in the position since she was appointed by Biden in 2021 and has decades of government experience.
Biden and Thomas-Greenfield have come under criticism for the way they’ve maneuvered the UN and its various agencies in recent years.
For example, the Biden administration heavily supported and funded the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) — which provides aid to Palestinians in Gaza — in years prior, until it was discovered earlier this year that the agency was employing a number of terrorist-affiliated individuals.
The UN has also faced criticisms for some of its own decisions, such as allowing China and Cuba, both nations with heavily reported human rights abuses, to sit on the Human Rights Council.
Stefanik’s new role means she will depart the House of Representatives, leaving Republicans with an even slimmer majority in the congressional chamber. As of Monday, votes were still being tallied as to which party would take the majority going into the next congressional session.
