Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) warned Friday that Heather Nauert will likely face a contentious confirmation battle in the Senate following her nomination to become America’s next United Nations ambassador.
Speaking on Fox News, the Republican and top Trump supporter advised Nauert, currently the spokeswoman for the State Department, that she may need a medieval “armor suit” to make it through the hearings.
{mosads}”I’m sure she’s going to face a real grilling at the U.S. Senate,” Huckabee said. “It is not something I would wish upon an enemy, much less a friend, and I consider Heather a friend.”
“I wish her well and hope for Christmas she maybe gets an armor suit. She may need it,” Huckabee joked.
Trump announced Friday that Nauert was his choice to succeed former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who resigned unexpectedly in October while promising that she was not pursuing political ambitions in 2020.
“Heather Nauert will be nominated for the ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said on Friday. “I want to congratulate Heather, and thank Ambassador Nikki Haley for her great service to our Country!”
Nauert will face confirmation by the Senate, which remains in Republican control following last month’s midterm elections. Trump was previously reported to have been considering a shortlist of five candidates for the position, including former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell.
Huckabee’s daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, currently serves as Trump’s White House press secretary, a job she took over following the resignation of Sean Spicer last year.