OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President-elect Donald Trump has selected House Republican Conference leader Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to be his United Nations ambassador, according to reports, which she has since confirmed.
“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 to the New York Post.
The New York Republican confirmed the appointment to the same outlet.
“I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Stefanik told the Post. “During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate. 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.”
Stefanik, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, is a regular presence on television, where she vigorously supports the GOP stance on various issues, such as Israel and what she calls the “Biden Crime Family.”
🚨 #BREAKING: Rep. Elise Stefanik has ACCEPTED Trump’s offer for US Ambassador to the United Nations, per NYP
This admin is going to be STACKED! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zQiMz92FVS
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 11, 2024
In contrast, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, appointed by the Biden-Harris administration, maintains a lower media profile and seldom seeks press coverage.
Reelected to her sixth term in the House last week, Stefanik made national headlines by questioning Ivy League university presidents over the surge in antisemitism on college campuses following the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
“The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” Stefanik added in her statement to the Post. “I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump’s restoration of America First peace through strength, leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations. ”
Trump, meanwhile, has picked immigration hardliner and former ICE chief Thomas Homan to serve as the next “border czar.”
“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job,” Trump announced on his Truth Social social media account.
Trump went on to say that the role of “border czar” is responsible for “the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” in addition to the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
Trump made border security a key component of his first term in office and continued to do so throughout his campaigns in 2020 and 2024.
According to Homeland Security’s website, the number of illegal border crossings increased throughout the Biden administration, reaching about 3 million in fiscal year 2024. Since FY 2021, around 10.8 million illicit encounters have occurred.
Trump pledged during his campaign to secure the border using a tough stance once more.
“It’s going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it,” Homan said during a Fox News interview on Sunday, adding that deportations would be a “humane operation.”
During his campaign, Trump frequently claimed that illegal immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” by flooding the country with gangs and drugs, as well as serving as a hub for human trafficking and smuggling.
“They’re rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums,” Trump said. “You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff.”
