Trump eyes new UN ambassador pick after Stefanik withdrawal

US President Donald Trump has said there are “maybe 30” people interested in serving as ambassador to the United Nations after he pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) nomination.

Trump cited David Friedman, who served as ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term, and Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, as two possible candidates, Caliber.Az reports, citing US news outlets.

“I can tell you that for the replacement, we have a lot of people that have asked about it and would like to do it,” Trump told reporters. “David Friedman, Ric Grenell, and maybe 30 other people. Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position. And so we’ll see what happens.”

Trump announced last week that he asked Stefanik to withdraw her nomination to serve as ambassador to the United Nations and remain in the House instead. The president has cited concerns about her seat becoming vulnerable at a time when Republicans already have a narrow majority.

Trump won Stefanik’s district by 30 percentage points last November. Stefanik has represented her district since 2015.

Currently, there are 218 House Republicans and 213 House Democrats, with four vacancies — meaning House Republicans can only afford to lose two Republicans on any party-line vote, assuming full attendance.

“We don’t want to take any chances, so I went to Elise and I said, ‘Elise, do you mind?’” Trump said last week after the announcement. “We don’t want to take any chances. It’s as simple as that. It’s basic politics. It’s politics 101. She’s very popular. She’s going to win.”

By Khagan Isayev