Trump Withdraws Stefanik’s UN Nomination, Cites Narrow House Majority
Former President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the nomination of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to serve as the United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In a post on Truth Social Thursday, Trump explained his decision, citing the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
Trump praised Stefanik, calling her “one of my biggest allies,” and asked her to stay in Congress to help advance his “historic” agenda. Despite Stefanik’s nomination having appeared to have enough Senate support, Trump opted to retain her in the House to ensure continued loyalty within the party.
The position of Permanent Representative to the UN, a Cabinet-level role, requires Senate confirmation. Stefanik had already testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after Trump took office, but her nomination had been delayed, even though others have successfully navigated the confirmation process.
With Republicans holding a slim five-seat majority in the House, Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson are wary of losing any votes on key legislation. As a result, Trump opted to avoid a potential vacancy in Stefanik’s seat, writing that he did not want to risk “anyone else running” for her position.
Trump also stated that Speaker Johnson was “thrilled” with the decision and expressed hope that Stefanik would join his administration in the future. Meanwhile, Dorothy Shea, a career diplomat, is currently serving as the US’ temporary representative to the UN following the resignation of Linda Thomas-Greenfield under the new administration.
In her testimony before the Senate, Stefanik had pledged to push for reforms at the UN and champion an “America First” approach, highlighting the fact that the US contributes 22% of the UN’s budget. She argued that American tax dollars should not support entities that are counter to US interests, anti-Semitic, or involved in corruption or terrorism.
This move comes amid Trump’s broader stance of reconsidering US participation in certain UN bodies, as seen with the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the UN Human Rights Council, and UNESCO during his presidency.
