Trump: David Friedman, 30 others have expressed interest in UN envoy vacancy

By Jacob Magid

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1 April 2025, 2:39 am

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Then-Republican presidential candidate, US President Donald Trump, right, greets David Friedman, who served as his ambassador to Israel, at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on February 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

US President Donald Trump says his former ambassador to Israel David Friedman has expressed interest in becoming the next US ambassador to the United Nations after Elise Stefanik pulled her nomination in order to maintain her seat in the House where Republicans have a narrow majority.

“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,” Trump tells reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office.

Friedman waged considerable influence from Jerusalem during the previous Trump administration and was said to have vied for a top spot in the second administration. However, Trump has held off on appointing the former envoy, who criticized the president after he dined with antisemite Kanye West in 2022.

Friedman went on to endorse Trump’s re-election and has been one of his most vocal advocates.

“Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position, and so we’ll see what happens. But we have a lot of people that are interested in going to the United Nations, as you can imagine,” Trump says.