NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Rep. Elise Stefanik as his ambassador to the United Nations, choosing a stalwart ally with little foreign policy experience to represent the U.S. at the international organization.
“Elise is an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement Monday announcing his choice for the role – his first selection, which requires Senate confirmation.
Stefanik, 40, who serves as chairman of the House Republican Conference, has long been one of Trump’s staunchest allies in the House and was among those discussed as a potential vice presidential nominee.
Born and raised in upstate New York, Stefanik graduated from Harvard and worked in former President George W. Bush’s White House in the Domestic Policy Council and the Office of the Chief of Staff.
In 2014, at age 30, she became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, representing New York State. She later became the youngest woman to hold a leadership position in the House of Representatives.
Stefanik was known as a more moderate conservative voice at the start of her term. But she soon aligned herself with the former president, quietly transformed her image into that of a faithful MAGA ally — and saw her power grow.
In 2021, she became chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.
Stefanik spent years positioning herself as one of Trump’s most trusted allies and confidants on the Hill. She endorsed him in the 2024 race before he even launched his bid and aggressively campaigned for him during the GOP primary.
Her profile rose after her aggressive questioning of three university presidents about anti-Semitism on their campuses led to two of their resignations – an achievement Trump repeatedly praised.
She also vigorously defended him in both impeachment trials and railed against his four criminal charges, including the filing of an ethics complaint in New York against the judge who heard his civil fraud case.
Nikki Haley, who challenged Trump for the Republican Party’s nomination, was among those who previously held the role of UN ambassador in his first term.
Stefanik’s appointment to the position comes despite her minimal experience in foreign policy and national security.
Although she is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and sits on the coveted House committee that oversees national intelligence, her selection underscores Trump’s preference for unquestioning loyalty in his second administration over professional experience.
One area of foreign policy that Stefanik has been vocal about is Israel.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Stefanik has focused much of her attention on the United Nations, accusing the world body and international organizations of anti-Semitism for criticizing the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 43,000 people, according to figures According to the group’s Ministry of Health, they are Palestinians.
She even went so far last month as to call for a “complete reassessment” of U.S. funding for the United Nations. At the same time, it is helping to fuel the blocking of American support for the UN agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the region.
Her departure from the United Nations will also mean that Republicans, who are on track to gain a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, will lose a crucial vote. But Stefanik’s district is in a deep red part of New York state, where Republicans are likely guaranteed to win the special election that will take place after she leaves office.
“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,” New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox said in a statement Monday.
Trump didn’t say much about the UN during the campaign, but generally advocated for a less interventionist foreign policy. He has also repeatedly questioned the usefulness of international alliances, including NATO, and he has threatened allies with higher tariffs and said he will not protect them if they do not contribute more to their own defense.
Trump has also spoken about how, after he was first elected, he initially wanted to choose his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, for the role.
“‘You would make a great ambassador to the United Nations, UN Secretary.’ There would be no one who could compete with her, I tell you that,” he said at a Moms for Liberty summit in August. “She may be my daughter, but no one could have competed with her.”
___ Amiri reported from Washington.
