Heather Nauert

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Heather Nauert
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD*
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingNikki Haley
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
Assumed office
April 24, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJohn Kirby
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Acting
In office
March 13, 2018 – October 10, 2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySteve Goldstein
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born
Heather Ann Nauert

(1970-01-27) January 27, 1970 (age 54)
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Scott Norby
(m. 2000)
Children2
EducationPine Manor College
Arizona State University
Mount Vernon Seminary and College (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
  • Pending Senate confirmation

Heather Ann Nauert (born January 27, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist and government official serving as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State since 2017.[1]

Prior to her positions at the Department of State, she worked as an ABC News correspondent and news presenter on the Fox News program Fox & Friends. Nauert also served as Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from March to October 2018.

Early life

Nauert is a native of Rockford, Illinois.[2] Her father, Peter Nauert, was an executive in the insurance industry. She has three brothers: Justin, Jonathan and Joseph.[3]

Nauert attended Keith Country Day School in Rockford, Illinois, Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, then Arizona State University. After landing an internship hosting a country music video program in Washington, DC, she stayed there to finish school, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Mount Vernon College for Women (now part of The George Washington University). She received her master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.[4]

Career

Broadcast journalism

In 1996, Nauert was a reporter for the syndicated weekly business program First Business. She worked for Fox News from 1998 to 2005, first as a contributor for three years and then as a correspondent for four years. During her time as a correspondent, she regularly contributed to The Big Story.[5]

From 2005 to 2007, Nauert held positions at several news organizations, including ABC News as a general assignment correspondent, where she contributed to ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and Nightline. While at ABC, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the special series 13 Around the World.[5]

In 2007, Nauert returned to Fox News as co-host with John Gibson of the weekday edition of The Big Story[6] until it was cancelled in 2008.

Nauert also co-anchored the newscasts Good Day Early Call and Good Day New York Wake Up with co-anchor Steve Lacy weekday mornings for Fox Broadcasting Company owned-and-operated station WNYW in New York City. In October 2012, Nauert left Good Day Wake Up and became a news presenter for Fox & Friends.[6][7] According to The Washington Post, Nauert "broadcast just about every right-wing talking-point under the sun" when she was a presenter on Fox News. She referred to undocumented immigrant children as "illegals" and warned that immigrant children were bringing "disease". In 2013, she claimed that "sharia law is now changing everything," citing a swimming group for Muslim girls in a YMCA in St. Paul, Minnesota. She pushed Benghazi conspiracy theories.[8]

She has appeared on two fictional TV shows where she played herself: Brother's Keeper (1 episode, 1999) and 24 (3 episodes, 2010).

United States Department of State

Nauert at the White House on July 25, 2017
Nauert and Mike Pompeo meeting with Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi in Beijing, China on June 14, 2018

On April 24, 2017, the United States Department of State announced that Nauert would be the new State Department spokesperson, her first role in government.[9] She held her first press briefing in that role five weeks later, on June 6, 2017.[10] Following the dismissal of Steve Goldstein on March 13, 2018, Nauert was named acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the fourth ranking position in the State Department.[11][8] In that role, she oversaw a budget of $1.2 billion and almost a thousand employees.[8] During her time in the State Department, Nauert did not develop a close relationship with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but after Tillerson's dismissal, she became part of Mike Pompeo's inner circle when he took over as Secretary of State.[8][12]

Nauert voiced opposition to the Iraqi Kurdistan's decision to hold an independence referendum in September 2017.[13]

In April 2018, Nauert voiced support for Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. She also condemned "Iran's malign influence" in Yemen.[14] In May 2018, Nauert said in response to the Gaza border protests: "We oppose actions against Israel at the International Criminal Court (...) because it does not help the cause for peace."[15]

In August 2018, Canada called for the immediate release of Saudi human rights activist Raif Badawi and his sister, Samar Badawi. In response to Canada's criticism, Saudi Arabia expelled the Ambassador of Canada and froze trade with Canada, leading to a decline in Canada–Saudi Arabia relations.[16] Nauert said: "It is up for the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Canadians to work this out. Both sides need to diplomatically resolve this together. We cannot do it for them."[17]

United States Ambassador to the United Nations nomination

On December 6, 2018, major news organizations reported that President Trump had picked Nauert to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations.[18] Trump told reporters recently that Nauert was "excellent," adding, "She’s been a supporter for a long time."[19] On December 7, 2018, President Trump announced that he will nominate her to succeed Nikki Haley as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.[20] Upon the announcement of her nomination, news outlets noted that she had risen rapidly through the ranks of the State Department and that she had no foreign policy experience. Politico wrote, "Less than two years ago, Heather Nauert was conducting interviews on ‘Fox and Friends.’ Now, she’s preparing to navigate the world’s raging geopolitical issues."[21] A Washington Post headline read, "Heather Nauert once cited D-Day in ‘long history’ of U.S.-German relations. Now she’s headed to the U.N."[8]

Personal life

Nauert is married to Scott Norby, executive director of private credit and equity for Morgan Stanley, who previously held positions at National Veterinary Associates, UBS, Goldman Sachs, and Cargill. The couple has two sons.

References

  1. ^ Scarry, Eddie (April 24, 2017). "Fox News reporter Heather Nauert named State Department spokeswoman". Washington Examiner.
  2. ^ Braun, Georgette (June 6, 2017). "Rockford native appointed State Department spokeswoman". Rockford Register Star.
  3. ^ "Death Notice: Peter W. Nauert". Chicago Tribune. August 24, 2007.
  4. ^ Farhi, Paul (May 25, 2000). "The New Face Of the Talking Head". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b "Heather Nauert: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. March 6, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Barmash, Jerry (October 17, 2012). "Heather Nauert and Juliet Huddy Swap Roles at Fox". AdWeek.
  7. ^ Kasana, Mehreen (March 13, 2018). "Trump's Admin Appoints Heather Nauert, A Former 'Fox & Friends' Host, As Acting Under Secretary". Bustle.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Heather Nauert once cited D-Day in 'long history' of U.S.-German relations. Now she's headed to the U.N." The Washington Post. 2018.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Felicia (April 24, 2017). "Former Fox Anchor Heather Nauert Is New State Department Spokeswoman". The Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ Katz, A.J. (June 6, 2017). "Heather Nauert Gives First Briefing as State Department Spokesperson". AdWeek.
  11. ^ Da Silva, Chantal (March 14, 2018). "The Trump administration has appointed former Fox News host Heather Nauert to a top State Department job". Newsweek. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  12. ^ "Trump to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next U.N. ambassador". The Washington Post. 2018.
  13. ^ "US says it understands 'legitimate aspirations' of people in Iraqi Kurdistan". June 9, 2017.
  14. ^ "Trump Administration condemns Houthi missile attack on Riyadh, says supports Saudi Arabia's right to defend borders". The Financial Express. April 12, 2018.
  15. ^ "U.S. opposes PA going to ICC as counterproductive, counter to peace". The Jerusalem Post. May 23, 2018.
  16. ^ Gambrell, Jon (August 5, 2018). "Saudi Arabia expels Canadian ambassador, freezes trade in human rights dispute". Toronto Star. Associated Press.
  17. ^ "'We don't have a single friend': Canada's Saudi spat reveals country is alone". The Guardian. August 11, 2018.
  18. ^ Hudson, John (December 6, 2018). "Trump to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next U.N. ambassador". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  19. ^ Lucey, Catherine; Lee, Matthew; Miller, Zeke (December 6, 2018). "Trump expected to pick State spokeswoman for UN ambassador". Associated Press. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  20. ^ Chalfant, Morgan (December 7, 2018). "Trump to nominate Nauert as United Nations ambassador". The Hill. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  21. ^ Orr, Gabby. "The campaign to confirm a diplomatic novice to America's top U.N. post". POLITICO. Retrieved December 26, 2018.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
2017–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Acting

2018
Vacant