U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced he will nominate State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
Heather Nauert, 48, was an American journalist at Fox News and has been the government official spokesperson for the United States' Department of State since April 24, 2017.
Before then she had rarely participated in government affairs, except for her two elections as South Carolina governor.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) listens as State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert (R) speaks during a press event at the State Department in Washington, DC, May 29, 2018. /VCG Photo
It came two months after Nikki Haley, the 46-year-old U.S. former UN ambassador, applied her resignation on October 9.
Meanwhile, Trump also said he will nominate William Barr, attorney general under late president George H.W. Bush, to lead the U.S. Justice Department again.
Trump said he was impressed by Nauert, a former anchor of "Fox and Friends," one of the television-loving president's favorite shows. "She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all," Trump told reporters.
Nauert said on Twitter she was "humbled" by Trump's confidence in her and looked forward "to continuing the outstanding job Amb. Haley has done representing your administration and the American people."
Nauert, who had been rumored as the top pick for the job since Haley's resignation, become the spokeswoman of the State Department after Trump's election despite no previous background in foreign affairs.
Then U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley attends a Security Council meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States, October 18, 2018. /VCG Photo
Representative Eliot Engel, the incoming Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was "uneasy" about Nauert's lack of experience, as the UN job "requires face-to-face negotiations with important allies and hardened adversaries."
But the Senate, which alone needs to confirm Nauert, is still under the control of Trump's Republican Party.
'Bridge' between UN and Trump?
UN diplomats said privately they hoped that Nauert will be an advocate for the United Nations within the Trump administration, to counter the anti-UN views of national security adviser John Bolton.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre told AFP that he looked forward to working with Nauert. He expressed hope that she will continue to be a "bridge between Washington and the UN at a time when we more than ever need an America that is engaged with the UN in world affairs and committed to our shared values, beginning with human rights."
In June, the United States quit the UN Human Rights Council, which it sees as biased against Israel.
U.S. Justice Department building is seen in Washington, U.S., December 7, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Trump on Friday tapped conservative lawyer Barr to lead the Department of Justice. Barr would succeed Jeff Sessions, who Trump sacked last month amid rising pressure on the White House from the Russia collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
"Bill Barr will be nominated for the United States Attorney General position. I think he will serve with great distinction," Trump told reporters. "He was my first choice from day one. Respected by Republicans and respected by Democrats," he added, describing Barr as "a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man."