In his confirmation hearing, Waltz spun himself as a tough advocate for American interests. Yet he kept bumping up against the same dilemma: in spite of the robust “America First” rhetoric, the Trump administration is taking steps that will weaken American leverage at the U.

It is unclear how Waltz would approach the job. Trump’s first nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, had built a track record in Congress of criticizing the U.N. She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of U.S. funding.