From UN hopeful to House lifeline: Trump’s last-minute Stefanik switch explained

Shortly following his historic election victory last November, President Trump nominated loyal ally Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Of all his nominations, Stefanik faced the least opposition in her Senate confirmation hearing — even walking away with some Democrat support.

Last week, however, Trump pulled her nomination, citing fear that Stefanik’s House seat would be replaced by a Democrat in a special election. Granted the GOP holds a razor-thin House majority (218-213) after January 2025 vacancies, losing her vote could very well jeopardize his legislative agenda.

“Is this the right move from the Trump administration?” Jill Savage, host of “Blaze News Tonight,” asks Blaze Media senior politics editor and Washington correspondent Christopher Bedford.

Bedford’s answer is a resounding yes.

Ambassador for the United Nations is “kind of a pointless job,” he says. “The whole point of the United Nations in New York is just so we can get foreign diplomats and leaders liquored up, hookered up, and on tape and video, and then go back to them later and say, ‘Hey, we need a favor because we saw you with six prostitutes in your hotel room and a pile of coke, and your wife wouldn’t want to see that.’”

Even still, he feels bad for Stefanik. The position is certainly “a stepping stone” and “a cool thing on your resume.”

However, what’s far more important is the GOP’s House majority, and where the numbers currently stand, Trump can’t afford to lose Stefanik’s vote — especially with wild cards like Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) in the House.

“It just comes down to the reality of giving the Republicans more breathing room particularly for this upcoming budget battle, which is expected in the next few weeks,” says Bedford.

“So who gets [the position] now?” asks Blaze News editor in chief Matthew Peterson.

“Maybe Ron DeSantis — you know someone who is not necessarily a Trump ally, but it’d be good to get them on the team but at the same time kind of sideline them a little bit,” says Bedford.

To hear more of the conversation, including Bedford’s predictions on the upcoming budget bill, watch the clip above.

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