‘Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,’ Trump said.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Nov. 11 that he will nominate House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
“Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement.
Trump said over the weekend that former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, along with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, will not be in the administration.
With the GOP having control of the Senate, Stefanik is likely to be confirmed.
In a statement on X, Stefanik said she was “truly honored” and “deeply humbled” to be selected.
My statement on accepting President Donald J. Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as Ambassador to the United Nations:
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) November 11, 2024
I am truly honored to earn President Trump's nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. During my conversation with…
“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,” she said.
Stefanik has been critical of the U.N., saying in September that it has “anti-Semitic rot.”
“American taxpayers have no interest in continuing to fund an organization that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have allowed to rot with antisemitism,” she said in an Oct. 16 statement.
“They must take the names of any country supporting this blatantly immoral effort and make clear the position of the United States—the UN’s single largest source of funding.”
Stefanik has called for defunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), saying in a Nov. 4 statement that it “instills anti-Semitic hate in Palestinians, houses weapons for terrorists, and steals the aid they are supposed to be distributing.”
The New York Republican was the first member of Congress to rise to prominence as a defender of Trump during the 45th president’s first impeachment in 2019 after he was accused of calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ask him to investigate President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for U.S. military assistance.
Stefanik was first elected from New York’s 21st Congressional District in 2014 at the age of 30, becoming the youngest woman elected to Congress.