President Donald Trump has reportedly asked Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman and one of the US' highest-ranking diplomats, to replace Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the UN, three people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News .
Haley abruptly resigned in October — a move she said she had discussed with Trump for months — and is set to leave by the end of the year.
The Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts reported in November that a senior Trump administration official had informed him that Nauert was offered the post.
CNN also reported at the time that the president had told his top advisers that he would most likely offer the job to Nauert.
Nauert, 48, has for months balanced two high-profile positions at the State Department . And while she is generally well-liked by her colleagues, many have described her as underqualified and overloaded with responsibilities.
There has never before been a State Department spokesperson who has simultaneously served as undersecretary for public affairs and public diplomacy, a top-ranking post that directs strategic messaging, promotes cross-cultural exchanges, and oversees the Global Engagement Center, which fights foreign propaganda.
And unlike most of her predecessors in both roles, Nauert, a former Fox News host, arrived in Washington last year without experience in foreign policy, government, or politics.
Reports have surfaced in recent months that Nauert is high on the administration's list of potential replacements for the White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is said to be considering leaving around the end of the year. Sanders has publicly denied reports that she plans to leave.
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