Elise Stefanik withdrawn from nomination for US ambassador to UN

Trump withdraws New York Republican's name for consideration because of slim Republican majority in House

Elise Stefanik speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire, in January 2024. AP

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he has withdrawn his nominee for UN ambassador, Elise Stefanik, to help preserve the Republicans' slim majority in the House of Representatives, which will be crucial for advancing his “America First” agenda.

Mr Trump had chosen the New York Republican to represent the US at the world body shortly after winning re-election in November.

“I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver historic tax cuts, great jobs, record economic growth, a secure border, energy dominance, peace through strength, and much more, so we can make America great again,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “With a very tight majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat."

Mr Trump's Republican Party holds a 218 to 213 majority in the House, with four seats currently vacant. They are gearing up to extend the 2017 tax cuts and tackle the national debt, which exceeds $36.6 trillion.

Elected to Congress in 2014, Ms Stefanik was initially a moderate conservative but has shifted to the right over time and now aligns herself closely with Mr Trump's wing of the Republican Party.

She was elected chairwoman of the House Republican Conference in 2021, succeeding Liz Cheney, who became a Trump critic after his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. In this role, Ms Stefanik defended Mr Trump during both impeachment trials and frequently criticised the Biden administration on issues related to Israel and the Middle East, as well as voting against spending packages that would deliver assistance to Ukraine.

Her nomination as ambassador to the UN, regarded as one of the least controversial administration picks, progressed through the committee in late January. But the House Republicans' razor-thin majority has left her confirmation in limbo for several months. She was the last cabinet-level Trump nominee who had not been confirmed.

“There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he wrote.

Dorothy Shea has been serving as the acting US ambassador to the UN since Linda Thomas-Greenfield left in January. It was not immediately clear who Mr Trump might choose to replace Ms Stefanik.

Whoever Mr Trump chooses to replace Ms Stefanik will face a complicated future at the UN. Since resuming office on January 20, the President has ceased US participation in the UN Human Rights Council, continued the suspension of funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and initiated a review of the UN cultural agency Unesco.

He has also declared US intentions to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organisation.