U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that there are “maybe 30” people interested in the job of Ambassador to the United Nations after he withdrew Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) nomination on March 27.
Possible candidates named by Trump include David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term, and Richard Grenell, who served as Trump’s first-term ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence.
“I can tell you that for the replacement, we have a lot of people that have asked about it and would like to do it,” Trump told reporters. “Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position. And so we’ll see what happens.”
Trump withdrew Stefanik over concerns about the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on March 27 that he had asked Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to remain in the House to secure the GOP’s 218-213 majority.
House Republicans can only lose two Republicans on any party-line vote, assuming full attendance, The Hill reported.
“As we advance our America First agenda, it is essential that we maintain every Republican seat in Congress,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “With a very tight majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat.”
Stefanik, who had stepped down as chair of the House Republican Conference in anticipation of the diplomatic post, will “rejoin the House leadership team,” Trump stated.
The congresswoman represents a solidly red district, but New York Democrats had given signals that they intended to slow-walk any special election to replace her. In February, New York Senate Democrats withdrew a bill that would have allowed the state’s Democratic governor to delay elections until November.
Trump’s decision to keep Stefanik in the House may also be influenced by Republican concerns about the upcoming special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to fill the vacant seat left by Mike Waltz, the U.S. national security advisor.
Though Trump won that district by 30 points, a recent poll has the race within the margin of error.
In past statements about the nomination, Stefanik emphasized her support for Israel and her desire to combat antisemitism at the United Nations.
Stefanik came to national attention at the end of 2023 while serving on the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce.
She asked the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania if calling for genocide against Jews would violate the codes of conduct at their schools.
All three said it would depend on whether the speech constituted harassment or bullying.
“So the answer is ‘yes’—that calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s code of conduct, correct?” Stefanik asked.
“It depends on the context,” Harvard President Claudine Gay said.
“It does not depend on the context. The answer is ‘yes,’ and this is why you should resign,” Stefanik said. “These are unacceptable answers across the board.”
Gay resigned in January 2024 due to growing pressure starting with her disastrous congressional testimony. She followed University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill, who resigned only four days after the hearings.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth continues to hold her position.
