Speaking after Nikki Haley’s announcement, President Donald Trump told White House reporters that he was to choose between a handful of people for the position, and that he would prefer a female candidate to take on the role.
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Here are the four reported frontrunners in the race for the post critical to the representation of the United States on the international arena:
Heather Nauert
According to The Daily Caller, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert a former Fox News anchor, is a leading contender to replace Nikki Haley as US Envoy to the United Nations by the end of the year.
A number of US media outlets, however, suggest that she might face obstacles during a Senate confirmation process given her lack of diplomatic experience.
The president reportedly met with Nauert on Monday, although it remains unclear whether the two discussed the potential job promotion.
Jamie McCourt
President Trump is also looking closely at another female candidate to replace the outgoing Haley, US Ambassador to France and Monaco Jamie McCourt.
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She was previously a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and, according to her biography, became the highest-ranking woman in Major League Baseball.
In late October, Bloomberg cited three insiders as saying that President Trump had scheduled a meeting with McCourt at the White House to discuss the continuing search for a UN envoy.
Kelly Craft
The third female candidate to potentially fill Haley’s shoes is reported to be US Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft.
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By a twist of fate, Craft, who was described as a major Republican donor, was nominated as an alternate delegate to the United Nations by President George W. Bush in 2007, where she mainly concentrated on US engagement in Africa.
Richard Grenell
After being appointed as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the UN in 2011, Grenell was the longest serving US spokesman at the United Nations, having advised four different US ambassadors until 2008.
He ran communications on such issues as the war on terror, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programs, global peacekeeping operations, etc.
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In mid-October, Grenell, who was confirmed as ambassador to Germany in April 2018, reportedly met with officials at the White House to discuss the new job at the UN.
