Trump floats Friedman, Grenell for U.N. ambassador, previews Middle East travel plans
The president confirmed plans to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and potentially other Gulf states in the coming weeks
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Special Envoy Ric Grenell and a slew of other candidates are interested in the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Trump withdrew his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as U.N. ambassador last week.
“We have a lot of good people that want it,” Trump said in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “For the replacement, we have a lot of people that have asked about it, and would like to do it. David Friedman, Ric Grenell, and maybe 30 other people. Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position.”
Addressing his decision to withdraw Stefanik’s nomination, Trump cited concerns about the Republicans’ slim margins in the House.
“I just don’t want to take chances where you guys are saying, ‘How is the election going?’” Trump explained. “We have a congressional election that’s a little bit close. I guess the one is in good shape, but the other one is a little bit close. But Randy Fine is a great guy … We want to be careful. And Elise is very popular in her district … I think it’s just security,” he said.
Fine is the Republican candidate in Florida’s 6th Congressional District who is in a surprisingly tight race in tomorrow’s special election to fill former Rep. Mike Waltz’s (R-FL) seat.
Trump also confirmed an upcoming trip — which he said could be next month or “a little bit later” — to the Middle East, expected to be his first trip abroad during his second term. The trip will include visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and potentially the United Arab Emirates and other nations in the region.
“I have a very good relationship with the Middle East,” Trump said, heaping praise on Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. “They’ve agreed to spend close to a trillion dollars of money in our American companies.”
Also during the remarks, Trump appeared to foreclose the possibility of Ukrainian membership in NATO, and said “that’s probably the reason the war started, actually,” echoing a Russian talking point on the conflict.