President Donald Trump’s nomination of former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to the post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations may seem like another instance of a disgraced white man failing up. It’s not.
Naming Waltz to the top UN spot is political castration. Of the last ten National Security Advisors, nine were men. Of the last ten U.S. Ambassadors to the UN, eight were women. In other words, the post Waltz may soon fill is a “girl job.”
Trump has always viewed the UN ambassadorship as suitable for a woman. A UN ambassador throws parties, chit-chats with guests, and happily nods while men drone on. It’s basically a hostess gig and women are great at that.
In his first administration, Trump named former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to the position where she oversaw the administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement, and the UN Human Rights Council. When Haley left, Trump announced he’d found the perfect replacement. In fact, he declared, there wasn’t “anybody more competent in the world.”
He was, of course, referring to his daughter Ivanka.
But she turned down the job, noting “I know the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley.” Instead, Trump selected Kelly Craft, a businesswoman and wife of a billionaire coal mining executive who contributed more than $2 million in the 2016 cycle.
In his second administration, Trump started by following the same instinct that the UN ambassador–like his Press Secretary– should be a woman. In November, he chose New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik to succeed Linda Thomas-Greenfield who held the job in the Biden administration.
Stefanik was thrilled with Trump’s offer, noting that she was “deeply humbled” to accept the nomination. Presumably, she was even more humbled when Trump took to TruthSocial on March 27 to insist, “There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations. Therefore, Elise will stay in Congress…”
The timing of that announcement was startling. There was speculation that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Stefanik were perhaps feuding. (They both denied this.) A better explanation may be that three days before Trump dropped Stefanik, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was using the Signal app to discuss ongoing military maneuvers. Goldberg knew this because he had been mistakenly added to the Signal group chat by one emoji-loving ex-Army Special Forces officer.
It’s possible that the plan to move Waltz to the UN began that day with the hard-working, ever-faithful Stefanik being sacrificed to open the slot.
On his end, Waltz is acting like he dropped his tray in the school cafeteria but it’s all cool. The former Nat Sec Advisor took to the former Twitter to succinctly say, “I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.”
Heading into confirmation hearings, expect Waltz to feel less “honored” and more humiliated. Senators, including some Republicans, will grill him over Signalgate. Waltz will have to defend his many bad choices, including his dumb and childish emojis. (These may be another reason why Trump might think Waltz deserves a “girl job.” Who loves emojis more than a teenage girl?)
If the senate decides not to confirm Waltz then Trump is off the hook for axing him. Trump remained supportive to a loyalist, keeping his hands clean while getting rid of another potential “birdbrain.”
If Waltz fails, perhaps Stefanik will re-emerge as a possibility. Leading the UN delegation would have boosted Stefanik who craves more international experience as a stepping stone to potential bigger jobs like Secretary of State or Vice President in Trump’s third term.
Or maybe former Haley will make a play to get her old job back. Trump vowed back in November that he would “not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration.” But if no one else wants the job, she could make a case that she already knows where the bathrooms are.
And if Waltz is confirmed, he will gladly take all the perks that come with the UN ambassadorship, including free travel and a swanky penthouse apartment at 50 United Nations Plaza. Still, it’s a step down from being in the Pentagon inner circle. No one should be surprised if Waltz decides to put in minimal hours, follow Russia’s lead on votes, and turn his “girl job,” into “a lazy girl job.”
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