Trump withdraws Rep. Elise Stefanik's nomination for UN ambassador,
citing tight GOP House margin
[March 28, 2025]
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was
pulling Rep. Elise Stefanik's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, a stunning turnaround for his Cabinet pick after her
confirmation had been stalled for months over concerns about
Republicans' tight margins in the House.
Trump confirmed he was withdrawing the New York Republican's nomination
in a Truth Social post, saying that it was “essential that we maintain
EVERY Republican Seat in Congress.”
“We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has
been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning. I have asked
Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress,” the
president said. He did not say whom he would nominate to replace her and
fill his last remaining Cabinet seat.
The abrupt withdrawal reflects growing concern among House Republicans,
led by Speaker Mike Johnson, that their historically slim majority could
be at risk, particularly ahead of two special elections in Florida next
week. The loss of a mere handful of seats could swing the House majority
to Democrats and derail their efforts to enact Trump’s sweeping agenda
in the months ahead.
Johnson praised Stefanik, the former No. 4 House leader, as “selfless”
and “patriotic" after Trump announced the move.
“It is well known Republicans have a razor-thin House majority, and
Elise’s agreement to withdraw her nomination will allow us to keep one
of the toughest, most resolute members of our Conference in place to
help drive forward President Trump’s America First policies,” Johnson
said in a post on X. He added that he “will invite her to return to the
leadership table immediately,” although it's unclear what position she
would take since there are no vacancies.
Stefanik said Thursday night that multiple issues factored into the
decision, including the possibility that an election to replace her may
be delayed; the upcoming special elections in Florida; and the
threadbare GOP majority in the House.
“I have been proud to be a team player,” Stefanik said on Fox News'
“Hannity” of the withdrawal of her nomination. "The president knows
that. And he and I have had multiple conversations today, and we are
committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people.”
Trump had tapped Stefanik to represent the U.S. at the international
body shortly after winning reelection in November. She was seen as among
the least controversial Cabinet picks, and her nomination advanced out
of committee in late January, but House Republicans' razor-thin majority
kept her ultimate confirmation in a state of purgatory for the last
several months.
In recent weeks, it had seemed as if Stefanik's nomination would advance
to the Senate floor, given two U.S. House special elections in Florida
in districts that Trump easily won in 2024. Filling those vacant GOP
seats would have allowed Stefanik to finally resign from the House and
given Republicans, who currently hold 218 seats, a little more breathing
room on passing legislation in a growingly divided Congress. Democrats
hold 213 seats.
Both districts have long been Republican strongholds, and a win by
either Democratic candidate would be a major surprise, but House
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democratic leaders are looking
to at least narrow the margin from November, when Trump carried both
districts in the presidential election by more than 30 points.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., testifies during a Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations hearing on her pending confirmation to be the
United Nations Ambassador, on Capitol Hill, Jan. 21, 2025, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
That, coupled with Democrats’ upset in a Tuesday special election
for a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in Republican-leaning suburbs
and farming communities, has given Republicans pause and pushed some
members into full panic mode, according to one congressional aide,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal
concerns.
Trump's statement Thursday also seemed to indicate an anxiety about
the party's ability to hold on to Stefanik’s seat if she were to
take on the U.N. post, even though the sprawling district in
northern New York is one of the state’s most conservative and is
considered to be solid Republican territory. Stefanik herself
cruised to reelection last year, winning 62% of the vote over her
Democratic opponent. Almost all of the counties in her district
voted for Trump last year.
In a statement, Jeffries, D-N.Y., said that Trump withdrew
Stefanik's nomination “because the extremists are afraid they will
lose the special election to replace her.”
“The Republican agenda is extremely unpopular, they are crashing the
economy in real time and House Republicans are running scared,”
Jeffries continued. "What happened to their so-called mandate?”
Stefanik is the fourth Trump administration nominee who didn’t make
it through the confirmation process. Previously, former U.S. Rep.
Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general, Chad
Chronister was pulled for the Drug Enforcement Administration and
former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon was yanked from
contention to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The former congresswoman had been in a state of limbo for months,
not able to engage in her official duties as a member of the 119th
Congress or to participate in the action at the U.N. The vacancy of
a permanent U.S. ambassador was happening at a critical moment for
the international body as the world leaders had been discussing the
two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas.
In late February, the U.S. mission, under Trump, split with its
European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of
Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions seeking an end to the
three-year war. Dorothy Shea, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the
U.N., has been the face of America’s mission in New York during the
transition.
The withdrawal of Stefanik’s nomination came after she had launched
a recent farewell tour of her district, meeting with supporters and
thanking them for their support. On her Instagram page, Stefanik had
also been conducting what appeared to be a retrospective of her time
in Congress, with one post containing images from 2016 that showed
her on a cable news show and posing with supporters atop a caption
that began with “Congressional throwback continued.”
Reflecting the abruptness of Trump's decision, Stefanik's last
throwback post was made Thursday morning.
___
Amiri reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers
Anthony Izaguirre in New York, Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Fla., and
Matthew Lee in Georgetown, Guyana, contributed to this report.
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