Elise Stefanik will no longer be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former President Donald Trump confirmed the decision in a post on Truth Social, emphasizing that “every Republican seat in Congress” is crucial to advancing his administration’s agenda.
“With a very tight majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” Trump wrote. However, he did not name a potential replacement.
The New York congresswoman had not yet formally assumed the U.N. role. Accepting the nomination would have required her to vacate her House seat, potentially jeopardizing the GOP’s narrow majority of 218 to 213. Stefanik was expected to be confirmed following a special election in Florida on April 1 to fill vacancies left by former Reps. Mike Waltz, who was appointed national security adviser, and Matt Gaetz, who resigned after being selected as attorney general.
The bureaucratic delays surrounding these transitions had already sparked controversy, particularly after Stefanik voted in favor of a stopgap federal funding bill that postponed a government shutdown for six months—an issue that further exposed divisions within the Democratic Party.
Stefanik’s withdrawal marks the second high-profile nomination reversal since Trump returned to the White House. The first was Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration after determining he lacked the votes for Senate confirmation. Both cases underscore the fragility of the GOP’s slim majority, despite efforts to project confidence.
