On Thursday afternoon, the White House withdrew the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), whom President Donald Trump had nominated last November to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. There were concerns about the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, and special elections are also coming up for other seats.
Trump confirmed concerns about the numbers in a post shared to Truth Social, though he also profusely thanked Stefanik and indicated that she might have a position in his administration in the future. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also spoken about letting her return to leadership.
When speaking with Fox News' Kayleigh McEnany, who was filling in for Sean Hannity, Stefanik confirmed concerns about special elections, especially in New York, run by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Stefanik reminded that her hearing "went incredibly smoothly," and she "passed by voice [vote] and there's been universal praise for the nomination," which there has been. But, there are other concerns. "The reality is... as we see in New York State, it is totally corrupt. Kathy Hochul started to move the ball on the election date. You see a highly, highly politicized radical left, trying to do everything to defeat the president," she warned.
"And this is about stepping up as a team," Stefanik also pointed out. "And I am doing that as a leader to ensure that we can take hold of this mandate and deliver these historic results, that we can pass this reconciliation bill, which will have tax cuts. It will have border security, American energy independence. And importantly, I look forward to continuing to hold higher education accountable for their failures, as well as all of my work on the House Armed Services Committee, and in the national security space that I have been known for at the highest levels of Congress."
It was during her confirmation hearing on January 21, as well as during a December 2023 hearing on grilling presidents of universities about antisemitism since October 7, that Stefanik showed how strongly she was willing to take on the societal ill.
The congresswoman also shared the timing of the decision. "So it really came to a culmination [on Thursday], but it was a combination of the New York corruption that we're seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections, and the House margin. Look I've been in the House, it's tough to count these votes every day and we are going to defy the political prognosticators and deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and importantly the voters across this country."
.@EliseStefanik displays PURE CLASS by stepping back from her UN Ambassador nomination to push President Trump’s agenda in Congress and serve her North Country constituents:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 28, 2025
"This is about stepping up as a team, and I’m doing that as a leader to ensure that we can take hold of… pic.twitter.com/uPq9g5gBMR
The congresswoman also shared the entire interview from her X account.
WATCH my interview with @kayleighmcenany on tonight’s @seanhannity 📺 pic.twitter.com/dFchfkDCxK
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) March 28, 2025
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