Would you have imagined five years ago that Ivanka Trump could become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations? The answer is probably no. But because this is 2018, within moments of learning that UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was resigning from her position, political pundits across America began theorizing the first daughter could become the next U.S. representative on the international body that's been often maligned by President Donald Trump.
Her father endorsed the idea, saying: "I think Ivanka would be incredible, but it doesn't mean I'd pick her. Because I'd be accused of nepotism even though I'm not sure there's anybody more competent in the world."
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However, Ivanka herself said she doesn't want the gig. "It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley," she tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "That replacement will not be me."
It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley. That replacement will not be me.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
The speculation around whether she would replace Haley wasn't exactly baseless.
Last year, the New York Times reported there were talks that Ivanka could become UN ambassador if Haley replaced then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
That didn't happen, however: After Tillerson was fired by the president through a tweet earlier this year, he was replaced by former CIA director Mike Pompeo. But now that Haley is stepping down in January 2019 to become a private citizen, there's nothing stopping the first daughter from being appointed to yet another high level government position.
One of the reasons that sparked rumors Ivanka can become the next UN ambassador is that she began following a ton of Twitter accounts related to the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday.
According to @Trumpsalert, @IvankaTrump started following a lot of Defense Department accounts yesterday pic.twitter.com/J3ZtngjloG
— Dave Brown (@dave_brown24) October 9, 2018
That alone obviously didn't mean anything, but pundits believed the position could be a next step for Ivanka's climb in the political world.
The first daughter and senior adviser to the president has worked over the past year and a half to position herself as a champion for women and children. (Her success is highly debatable, however.) She has already taken the stage internationally on several occasions, from meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and representing her father at the G20 Summit to leading the U.S. presidential delegation at the Winter Olympics earlier this year and helping launch a fund to aid female entrepreneurs.
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Ivanka also has the seal of approval from Haley, who called her a "great friend" during her remarks at the Oval Office Tuesday morning.
Ambassador Haley has served America with dignity + distinction.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 9, 2018
She is a bold reformer and has been an unwavering champion of truth, principled realism and integrity within the United Nations.
Jared and I are grateful for her friendship — a true blessing in our lives! ?? pic.twitter.com/sidkwXzPZB
In a Politico piece last year, Richard Gowan, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, argued that the idea of "Ambassador Ivanka Trump" wasn't terrible.
"We’ve already passed the nepotism Rubicon, with Ivanka and Jared serving in amorphous White House roles in a manner that would have been unthinkable as recently as two years ago," he wrote. "So why not install Ivanka as U.N. ambassador? Would she really be so bad?"
The president is expected to nominate the next UN ambassador in the next few weeks.
This story was originally published on October 9, 2018 at 12:58 p.m. It has since been updated.
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