In first Cabinet pick, Trump taps Israel ally Rep Stefanik as UN ambassador

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime Congressional ally Elise Stefanik ( R-NY) to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiple news reports on Monday.

Stefanik, who is Trump’s first Cabinet pick, won re-election to a U.S. House seat representing New York last Tuesday, a post she will be leaving to join the new administration in January.

“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 said in a statement.

Stefanik was born and raised in upstate New York, graduated from Harvard and worked in former President George W. Bush's White House on the Domestic Policy Council and in the Chief of Staff's office. 

She made history in 2014 when, at 30 years old, she became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. 

The New York Republican later became the youngest woman to serve in House leadership and currently serves on the committees for the Armed Services, Education and Workforce and Intelligence. 

Stefanik has been a staunch supporter of Trump, defending him in both impeachment trials in 2019, and recently filing an ethics complaint in New York against the judge who heard his civil fraud case. 

She endorsed the president-elect in the 2024 race, before he had even launched his bid, and vigorously campaigned on his behalf during the GOP primary.

Last December, just months after Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel, Stefanik made headlines when she grilled Ivy League university presidents about their policies on pro-Palestinian campus rallies that were calling for the genocide of Jews. The presidents of Harvard, her alma mater, and the University of Pennsylvania both resigned after the hearings.

Stefanik has been vocal in her advocacy for Israel, expressing support for Israel's decision to cut off aid for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

"The United States must stand with Israel's decision to ban Hamas-infiltrated UNRWA from operating in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza,” Stefanik said. “UNRWA staff participated in the heinous terrorist attacks on October 7th, its headquarters housed an underground Hamas data center, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar carried the passport of an UNRWA teacher when he was killed,” Stefanik noted in a press release statement.

"The Biden-Harris Administration has sent over $1 billion to UNRWA since 2021, filling the coffers of this terrorist front. This must end," she added.

In May, the congresswoman was in Israel to speak to Jewish and pro-Israel students on various campuses, saying: “There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel.”

Stefanik has frequently called the UN antisemitic for its opposition to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and bias against the Jewish state. In October, she called for a “complete reassessment of U.S. funding of the United Nations.”

“Thankfully the Biden-Harris Administration’s rewarding of terrorists at the expense of our great ally Israel is coming to an end,” she wrote on 𝕏 on Sunday.

Over the weekend, Stefanik made her stance on Israel's fight with Iran clear when she posted on 𝕏, "The U.S. is ready for a return to President Trump's MAXIMUM PRESSURE campaign against Iran. For too long, our enemies have been emboldened by the weakness of the Biden-Harris Administration.”

"With President Trump in charge, Peace through Strength is back. 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.”