WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is set to name State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next US ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiple reports.
If confirmed by the Senate, she would take over from outgoing ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced her resignation in Oct without offering details on why.
Numerous reports in the US media — the first of which appeared in Bloomberg news — said Nauert would be nominated Friday, citing sources close to the matter.
Nauert, 48, has been touted for the post since Nov.
Trump told reporters last month the former Fox News anchor was “under very serious consideration.”
He added: “She’s excellent, she’s been with us a long time, she’s been a supporter for a long time, really — excellent.”
Nauert joined the State Department in April 2017.
She has served under two secretaries of state — Rex Tillerson and her current boss Mike Pompeo — and was designated acting under-secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs from March to October 2018.
Haley similarly had little foreign policy experience when appointed, although she had a national name as the governor of South Carolina.
Nauert’s appointment would reinforce the link between Fox News and Trump, who has been accused of turning to the conservative-leaning channel, rather than experts, for policy advice. — AFP
