Trump nominates Heather Nauert as UN ambassador

World Today

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert speaks during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017 (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he’s nominating U.S. State Department Spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, as the next United States ambassador to the United Nations.

“She’s very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she’ll be very respected by all,” he told reporters on the White House south lawn.

He also announced it on Twitter:

Nauert became U.S. State Department spokesperson in April 2017. After U.S. President Donald Trump fired her boss, former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, Nauert became Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs for seven months—from March to October 2018.

Prior to that, she spent 17 years as a correspondent and presenter at the Fox News and ABC News, and is a former member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Trump has long been an avid fan of Fox News.

In October, current United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley made a surprise announcement that she would leave her post by the end of the year. The Trump administration appointed Haley in January 2017, and led American Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign on the DPRK, U.S. efforts to rid Syria of chemical weapons, and levy sanctions against Moscow for its interference in Crimea, among other issues.

Friday morning, she congratulated Nauert on her nomination, via Twitter:

Haley congratulated Nauert on her nomination on Twitter Friday.