President-elect Donald Trump continued building his incoming administration Sunday, naming New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as United Nations ambassador and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan as “border tsar,” adding to a growing list of appointments ahead of his January return to the White House.
Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican who became the youngest woman elected to Congress in 2014, represents a significant shift from moderate critic to loyal Trump defender. “An incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to the New York Post announcing her nomination to the crucial diplomatic post amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Homan, 62, returns to Trump’s team after serving as acting ICE director during the first Trump administration, strengthening the president-elect’s focus on border security. The appointments follow Trump’s selection of campaign manager Susie Wiles as chief of staff, whom he dubbed “the ice maiden” in his election victory speech, praising her composure.
As the administration takes shape, Trump has explicitly ruled out returns for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Speculation continues about potential roles for X owner Elon Musk and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while Florida Senator Rick Scott, backed by Musk, emerges as a contender for Senate majority leader.
The appointments come as Republicans edge closer to full congressional control, having secured the Senate majority and needing only a handful of additional seats to claim the House of Representatives.
