Fox News reported Friday that President Trump is expected to nominate former Fox & Friends host Heather Nauert as ambassador to the United Nations. Nauert, who had little experience in government or foreign policy before being appointed as a spokesperson in Trump’s administration in 2017, will replace outgoing U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise. For the past month, speculation suggested that the former television news anchor was a “leading contender” for the role and may have even been offered the job, according to leaked reports after the two met in the Oval Office in October, but nothing official has been announced.
Additionally, there were rumors at the time that Dina Powell, former deputy national security advisor, would take the role, but she dropped out of consideration. Trump had also said that his daughter Ivanka Trump would be “incredible” in the role but said that he couldn’t appoint her without being accused of nepotism.
Nauert was a host and reporter for Fox News prior to joining the State Department in 2017, where she works as a spokesperson. If confirmed, she will need to tackle issues such as sanctions with North Korea and the U.S. relationship with Israel.
It is unclear whether Nauert will take the position at the Cabinet level, as it is now, or if the role will be downgraded to report to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as it has been done in the past.
Scoop: Trump has decided to pick Heather Nauert, the State Dept spokeswoman, as the next U.S. ambassador to the UN, sources tell me. https://t.co/M5pMK4NbuT
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 7, 2018
Haley surprised officials when she announced that she would be leaving her position by the end of the year.
“It’s been eight years of intense time and I’m a big believer in term limits,” Haley said.
“You have to be selfless enough to know when you step aside and allow someone else to do the job.”
At that time, she also closed down any speculation that she would run for a role in government in 2020, but she did say that she would campaign for the president in his bid for re-election.
“I expect to continue to speak out from time to time on important public policy matters, but I will surely not be a candidate for any office in 2020,” she wrote.
“As a private citizen, I look forward to supporting your re-election as President, and supporting the policies that will continue to move our great country toward even greater heights.”
Trump is expected to announce Nauert as his pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations tomorrow morning in a tweet.
