In a narrow 47-43 vote, the Senate confirmed Trump’s pick Mike Waltz as US Ambassador to the UN, where he vows to challenge antisemitism and overhaul the institution.
After nine months without a permanent envoy, the United States Senate confirmed Mike Waltz as the new US Ambassador to the United Nations in a 47-43 vote Friday night, restoring American representation just days before the UN General Assembly opens in New York.
In a rare display of bipartisanship, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) crossed party lines to support Waltz, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the lone Republican holdout.
Waltz, 51, a close Trump ally, previously served as White House National Security Advisor and represented Florida in Congress for six terms. Though his tenure had some rocky moments—including controversy over mistakenly adding journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a secure Signal chat—Trump ultimately stood by him and tapped him for the UN role in May after withdrawing Rep. Elise Stefanik’s name to protect the GOP’s slim House majority.
At his confirmation hearing, Waltz laid out a tough agenda:
- Reform UN funding and ensure US contributions are used responsibly.
- Confront entrenched antisemitism in the institution, where Israel has long been singled out for disproportionate condemnation.
- Reassert US leadership to push back against adversaries exploiting the UN system.
Waltz succeeds acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea, who has been holding the post since the vacancy began. His confirmation comes just ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, setting the stage for a harder US line at the world body.
For Israel and its allies, Waltz’s arrival signals a new era of confrontation with anti-Israel bias at the UN and a reaffirmation of Washington’s commitment to defending Israel on the international stage.
