What does the appointment of Mike Waltz mean for the UN? | Breaking News & Latest Ireland Updates

What does the appointment of Mike Waltz mean for the UN? — in Washington DC For weeks, UN officials have been on tenterhooks waiting to see who US President Donald Trump would appoint as his ambassador to the ...

in Washington DC

For weeks, UN officials have been on tenterhooks waiting to see who US President Donald Trump would appoint as his ambassador to the United Nations.

Well, today they got their answer.

Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor who inadvertently invited a journalist into a Signal group chat discussing airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, is headed for New York.

After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an update on the strikes on Houthi targets in the now infamous Signal Chat, Mr Waltz responded with three emojis: a fist bump, an American flag and fire.

"This appointment has obviously caught UN officials and diplomats off-guard," Richard Gowan, UN Director at the Crisis Group, told RTÉ News.

"Optimists around the UN are saying that it is good that there will be an ambassador in town who knows how Trump thinks, even if he lost his perch in the White House," he said.

The vacancy at the head of the US UN mission came about when Mr Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, over concerns that her departure would leave Republicans with a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives.

It was essential that they "maintain every Republican seat in Congress," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Ms Stefanik, a self-professed MAGA warrior, vowed in her Senate confirmation hearing to push through reform at the United Nations as well as root out "antisemitic rot".

It's hard to predict what approach Mr Waltz is likely to take, beyond a general "America First," agenda, analysts said.

"A lot of diplomats have been very frustrated by the long wait for a new US ambassador," Mr Gowan said.

"Waltz is known to be a hawk who is likely to be quite tough with US friends and rivals alike," he added, "but if he can bring some clarity about what Trump wants out of the UN that will be very welcome".

The appointment might be more of an indication of the chaotic internal dynamics inside the administration rather than an insight into President Trump’s attitude towards the UN, according to Anjali Dayal, assistant professor of international politics at Fordham University.

"Trump had a political problem, and he chose to solve it by sending Mike Waltz to the United Nations ambassadorship," she said.

But there’s no guarantee that Mr Waltz will be confirmed by the US Senate, given the potential for a hearing to be dominated by the single issue of his use of an unsecured messaging app to discuss confidential military plan, Ms Dayal said.

If he is confirmed, UN officials may worry that Mr Waltz is less versed in UN affairs than Mr Trump’s previous appointee, Ms Stefanik, she added.

"I think UN insiders will feel much less confident that Mike Waltz will arrive with the same degree of professionalism and seriousness in the job, at a time of substantial, dramatic funding cuts that threaten the very existence of the United Nations’ core functions".