Rep. Elise Stefanik displays the Anti-Defamation League’s “F” campus report card grade for Northwestern as the presidents of that school, Rutgers, and UCLA testify on campus antisemitism, May 23, 2024. Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
(JTA) — Elise Stefanik will not be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, yanking the darling of pro-Israel advocates from her nomination to a role representing the United States on the world stage.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump cited the Republicans’ razor-thin majority in Congress, where Stefanik has served in the party leadership. Her upstate New York district is solidly red, but Trump indicated that he did not want to risk losing her seat.
“As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress,” he wrote. “We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning.”
He added, “I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress.”
Stefanik, a close Trump ally, gained global attention for her questioning of three elite university leaders in 2023 in a hearing on campus antisemitism. In public appearances since being nominated to the U.N. post last year, she had vowed a pugnacious approach to advocating for Israel.
On Thursday, some pro-Israel supporters of Trump criticized the decision.
“It is incomprehensible to me why @RepStefanik is being replaced at the UN,” tweeted former New York lawmaker Dov Hikind, a hawkish Israel advocate. “She is a superstar and in a class all by herself. Her congressional district leans heavily Republican.
Remember transparency? This doesn’t feel very transparent. What’s the real story?”
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