President Donald Trump said Saturday that he was nominating the spokeswoman for the State Department, Tammy Bruce, as deputy representative to the United Nations, a job change that would make the former conservative radio talk show host an ambassador.
In a Truth Social post announcing her nomination, Trump described Bruce as “a Great Patriot, Television Personality, and Bestselling Author.” He praised her role at the State Department and said she would represent the U.S. “brilliantly at the United Nations.”
The position requires Senate confirmation. She would serve under Michael Waltz, who himself is awaiting confirmation and was removed from the position of national security adviser shortly after he accidentally added a journalist to a group Signal chat containing sensitive military information.
Bruce, who had no prior experience in U.S. foreign policy, had cut an unorthodox figure at State Department briefings, often declining to answer questions in detail and unilaterally rearranging the seating chart for journalists.
Unlike many top State Department political appointees, she did not have a previous relationship with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was not considered close to his inner circle.
She sometimes appeared out of the loop on key decisions. During one State Department briefing in early May, she had to be informed by journalists that Rubio had just been named interim White House national security adviser.
“It is clear that I just heard this from you,” Bruce, who had just brushed off a question on the National Security Council, responded.
She added that the moment was a “miracle of modern technology and social media.”
It is not clear who will replace Bruce as State Department spokesperson. The deputy spokesperson is Tommy Pigott, who previously helped lead communications for the Republican National Committee.
Bruce has been frequently on Fox News representing the Trump administration. A former Democratic activist and past president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women, Bruce has been vocal about her conversion to the conservative cause. She came onto the conservative media scene in the tea party era.
Earlier this summer, Bruce drew criticism from some MAGA-aligned conservatives for telling Israeli i24 News that the United States is “the greatest country on Earth — next to Israel.” Bruce later said her comments were taken out of context.
