Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican and a devoted Trump loyalist, has little foreign policy experience. But she has built a reputation over the last year as a leading champion of Israel, in part by repeatedly hammering the U.N. for its reproach of the country's military response to last year's attacks by Hamas. In September, she accused the organization of being infected by "antisemitic rot."
Her nomination as America's top envoy to the U.N. sends an early signal that Trump intends to side squarely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a conservative Trump ally who has ignored President Biden's calls for a regional cease-fire, as the Middle Eastern conflict expands and intensifies.
The posting also sends a broader message to the world that Trump's "America First" approach — which envisions a shrinking role for the United States in world diplomacy and global affairs — is likely to reign supreme in his second term.
That strategy is likely to surface most prominently in Ukraine, where Trump has declined to commit more military support as Kyiv continues the years-long battle against Russia's invading forces. Stefanik called for "devastating action" to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin early in the war, but voted against a multibillion-dollar aid package to Ukraine earlier this year.
In accepting the nomination Monday, Stefanik defended Trump's shift toward isolationism, suggesting it would nudge America's allies into taking a more active role in the pursuit of global peace.
"America continues to be the beacon of the world," she said in a statement, "but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek."
Trump's Republican allies on Capitol Hill quickly hailed the nomination on Monday, praising Stefanik as a "fantastic choice" for the position.
But her promotion to global envoy is sure to ring alarm bells among both traditional conservatives, who still support a muscular defense of NATO and America's overseas allies, and Democrats, who consider Stefanik to be an unscrupulous political opportunist and a blind sycophant to Trump.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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