This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates as more information becomes available.
A replacement for departing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has just been confirmed.
“Heather Nauert will be nominated for the ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump told reporters Friday morning. Nauert is currently the U.S. State Department spokesperson.
“She’s very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she’s going to be respected by all,” he said.
JUST IN: Pres. Trump tells reporters he will nominate State Dept. spokesperson Heather Nauert to serve as U.N. Ambassador.
“She’s very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she’s going to be respected by all.” https://t.co/aCJp34eFVV pic.twitter.com/QIiNtz2HEm
— ABC News (@ABC) December 7, 2018
Several reports said late Thursday that an official announcement would be forthcoming on Friday morning after more than a month of speculation that Nauert would be nominated.
Nauert, State Department spokesperson and former Fox News correspondent, has been a top contender and expected nominee to replace Haley since October, a senior official told The Wall Street Journal at the time.
Nauert reportedly met with Trump in the Oval Office at the end of October, where she received an offer for the position, although it was not yet confirmed.
Trump said at the time that Nauert was “under very serious consideration.”
“She’s excellent. She’s been with us a long time. She’s been a supporter for a long time, and she’s really excellent,” he said.
“We’ll probably make a decision next week,” he had added. “We have a lot of people that want the job and there are a lot of really great people, but we’ll be talking about that next week sometime.”
President Trump: Heather Nauert “under very serious consideration” for UN ambassador https://t.co/dCMeyGVVaT pic.twitter.com/bAshKCSvWG
— The Hill (@thehill) November 2, 2018
Nauert has served as State Department spokesperson since April 2017. She also served as acting Undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs for a six-month period between March and October 2018.
Prior to her role in the White House, Nauert worked as a correspondent for Fox News and ABC News, and also as a Washington D.C. government affairs consultant.
Haley’s departure was announced alongside Trump in early October.
Haley told the reporters she had mentioned the resignation to the President approximately six months ago, saying that she wanted a break. She also told reporters that she will be campaigning for Trump in 2020, quelling any speculation that she might join the Presidential race herself.
Trump confirmed that Haley told him six months ago of her plans to resign at the end of the year.
“She wanted to take some time off,” he said.
He added that Haley “has been very special to me. She’s done an incredible job. She’s a fantastic person, very importantly, but she’s also somebody who gets it.”
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft and former White House official Dina Powell were two other candidates reportedly considered by Trump.
