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 told the outlet.
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 marks one of the first of three official hires of Trump’s 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 of Tom Homan, the former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 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.
Stefanik was elected to the House as a more moderate conservative as the youngest ever woman to sit in the lower chamber in 2014 at just 30 years old, before shifting more to the right and becoming a strong ally of Trump.
The fourth-ranking House Republican endorsed the then-GOP candidate during the 2016 election, 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 lies surrounding interference in the 2020 election and sought to get the outcome of the election overturned.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Trump announced his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley will not be a part of his second administration.
The Independent has contacted both Trump and Stefanik’s representatives for more information.
Source: independent.co.uk