President-elect Donald Trump has selected House Republican Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, of New York to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik is Trump’s first Cabinet pick for his second term in the White House.

Trump said in a statement: “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.”

Stefanik told the New York Post that she was “truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” adding that when speaking with Trump, she “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.”

Stefanik, 40, is a Republican congresswoman from New York’s 21st District (which covers upstate NY), and was elected last week to her sixth term in the House. She joined House leadership in May 2021, when she was elected as chair of the House Republican Conference, replacing former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy) in the role. Stefanik has served in the House since 2015; at the time of her election in 2014, she was the youngest woman to ever win a seat in Congress.

Stefanik has also been a staunch defender of Israel in its response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks and has been outspoken over the last year about antisemitism on college campuses. Stefanik reiterated her call for the defunding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East before last week’s election, alleging that it has been infiltrated by Hamas.

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