Stefanik accepts Trump’s nomination for UN ambassador

Nov 11, 2024 —

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as ambassador to the United Nations in his Cabinet.

According to Politico, Trump said he was “honored to nominate Stefanik” and described her as “an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter.”

In a statement to the New York Post, Stefanik said she was “deeply humbled” to accept Trump’s nomination. “I look forward to gaining the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate,” Stefanik said.

If approved, a special election would be held in the North Country’s 21st Congressional District, which Stefanik has represented since 2015.

New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox issued a statement Monday morning congratulating Stefanik on his nomination. “Republicans will hold this safe Republican seat as part of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives that will help fulfill President Trump’s historic mandate,” Cox said in the statement.

When she was first elected, Stefanik was considered a moderate Republican and future party leader. During her first three terms, she rose to become the 13th most bipartisan member of Congress, according to the Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index.

That began to change in 2020, as Stefanik aligned himself with then-President Trump during his two impeachment trials and became increasingly loyal to Trump.

In 2021, she became chair of the Republican Party, replacing Rep. Liz Cheney as chair of the House GOP Conference.

Stefanik gained further national prominence in late 2023 and early 2024 when she led congressional hearings on anti-Semitism on college campuses.

Stefanik also criticized U.S. involvement in the United Nations, saying in a recent statement that the Biden administration had allowed the United Nations to “rot with anti-Semitism.”

UN ambassador is considered an influential position previously held by Madeline Albright, George HW Bush and, during Trump’s last presidency, Nikki Haley.