Trump says State spokeswoman might be next UN ambassador

WASHINGTON — State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is among the people under consideration to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Trump said his administration will “probably make a decision” next week on a replacement for Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down from her position at the U.N. at the end of this year.

Nauert is “under very serious consideration,” the president told reporters at the White House.

“She’s excellent. She’s been with us a long time,” Trump said. “She’s been a supporter for a long time.”

Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former secretary Rex Tillerson.

She was a surprise choice to be the public face of the State Department because she hadn’t specialized in foreign policy as a reporter. She was a breaking news anchor on “Fox & Friends” and previously worked at ABC News as a general assignment reporter.