Updated March 28, 2025 at 14:06 PM ET
President Trump on Thursday said he is withdrawing his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be ambassador to the United Nations.
Stefanik's nomination had been expected to easily clear the Senate — but Republicans are concerned about holding on to their thin majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold 218 seats and Democrats 213 seats. Four seats are currently vacant — two are considered safe GOP seats and two are considered safe Democratic seats. But off-year special elections can bring surprises.
"As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress," Trump wrote in an announcement Thursday on Truth Social.
Before her nomination, Stefanik was the highest-ranking woman serving as a Republican in the House of Representatives. After the nomination, House Republicans elected Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain to succeed Stefanik as conference chair.
Trump said Stefanik would "rejoin the House Leadership Team," but did not detail in what capacity. In a post on X, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would invite Stefanik "to return to the leadership table immediately," but did not say more about her role.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump expanded on his decision to withdraw the nomination.
"We cannot take a chance. We have a slim margin. We don't want to take any chances," the president said. Trump described the decision as "politics 101."
Stefanik was a strong defender of Trump during his 2019 impeachment hearings — and also attracted attention for grilling college presidents during congressional hearings on antisemitism on college campuses.
In February, Johnson publicly acknowledged in remarks to the America First Policy Institute that he needed Stefanik to stay in the House to make sure he had enough votes to pass a budget resolution, although he did support her nomination for the cabinet position.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responded to Trump's announcement by saying the decision to withdraw the nomination was an acknowledgement that Republicans would be vulnerable if there was a special election to replace Stefanik.
"The Republican agenda is extremely unpopular, they are crashing the economy in real time and House Republicans are running scared," Jeffries said in a statement. "What happened to their so-called mandate?"
Copyright 2025 NPR
