by Evie Fordham
Pundits are already throwing out the names of individuals who could replace outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley after her Tuesday announcement that she intends to step down at the end of 2018.
Current U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell is already getting a large share of the attention after President Donald Trump said at a Tuesday Oval Office press conference that the new U.N. ambassador will be announced within two to three weeks.
Other possible candidates include former deputy national security adviser for strategy Dina Powell and even Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, who is one of his advisers.
Richard Grenell
Grenell is a Harvard-educated diplomat who was confirmed to his current post as U.S. ambassador to Germany in April. He is the longest-serving appointee at the U.N. in history, having served “as a U.S. spokesman and political appointee to the U.N.” for eight years, according to the Washington Examiner. He is also on good terms with national security adviser John Bolton after the two worked together in former President George W. Bush’s administration, according to the Washington Examiner.
Grenell was on Donald Trump’s short list for U.N. ambassador during the 2016 presidential election, reported The New York Post. He would have been the first openly gay U.S. ambassador to the U.N. had he been selected. Grenell is pro-Israel and was recently noted by The Daily Caller for “quietly convincing German companies to discontinue business with Iran.”
“The obvious choice for the UN slot is Richard Grenell,” tweeted conservative commentator Kurt Schlichter Tuesday.
Dina Powell
Powell served as deputy national security adviser for strategy in the Trump administration until revealing that she was leaving for investment company Goldman Sachs in February, according to Axios. She played a key role in Middle East policy during her time working for Donald Trump, reported Newsweek.
Powell has close ties to Ivanka Trump after formally advising her on “women’s programming,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
Powell was born in Egypt to an Egyptian army captain and is a Coptic Christian, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Nikki Haley spent the weekend (or at least part of it) in South Carolina with former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell. See picture here on the boat. https://t.co/zTfp2fu8Sh
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 9, 2018
Haley and Powell spent the weekend together in South Carolina, the Washington Post’s White House reporter Josh Dawsey wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
Ivanka Trump
The first daughter and current adviser to her father would be a surprising choice for Haley’s role and could be sticky in light of anti-nepotism laws, reported Newsweek. Ivanka Trump did not draw a salary for her work at the White House as of 2017, reported NBC News.
Ivanka Trump was reportedly considered when an alleged “scenario circulated in which Ms. Trump could replace Nikki R. Haley as ambassador to the United Nations if Ms. Haley replaced Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson,” reported The New York Times in November 2017.
Haley called Ivanka Trump “a great friend” at the Tuesday Oval Office press conference, and the president’s daughter posted about her admiration for Haley on Twitter Tuesday.
Ambassador Haley has served America with dignity + distinction.
She is a bold reformer and has been an unwavering champion of truth, principled realism and integrity within the United Nations.
Jared and I are grateful for her friendship — a true blessing in our lives! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/sidkwXzPZB— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
“Ambassador Haley has served America with dignity [and] distinction,” Ivanka Trump wrote on Twitter. “She is a bold reformer and has been an unwavering champion of truth, principled realism and integrity within the United Nations. Jared and I are grateful for her friendship — a true blessing in our lives!”
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Evie Fordham is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Evie on Twitter @eviefordham.
