President Trump has made the right choice in nominating State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert to the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Predictably, however, some are scornfully attacking Nauert, a former journalist, as unqualified for the position. These critics are driven far more by their hatred for Fox News, where Nauert used to work, than their honest assessments of reality, and they are wrong.

First off, in her time as the State Department's chief spokeswoman, Nauert has learned the ins and outs of the State Department bureaucracy. She's also learned the three keys to being a successful U.N. ambassador: being a team player, understanding U.S. foreign policy interests, and understanding the interests and nuances of other international actors. In order to get the State Department operating effectively with united purpose, a senior leader must command the respect of State Department's foreign and civil service officers and other employees. Standing up for her department, Nauert has earned that respect.

Moreover, in standing up for American foreign policy interests and allies, Nauert is ready to deliver that message at the U.N. And the the ambassador she replaces also had little foreign policy experience but was quite successful.

Nauert has shown another important facet of readiness: a willingness push back against U.S. adversaries. Here, Nauert stands out for her strong understanding of the Russian propaganda machine. In numerous exchanges at the State Department, Nauert has aggressively rebuked Russian agents from RT and other truly fake-news outlets. As shown in the video below, Nauert has even done so under pressure from U.S. journalists who lack the understanding of what RT actually is: which is to say, a de facto intelligence influencing operation.



This confidence will be absolutely critical at the U.N., where Russian diplomats spend every day attempting to deceive the international community and undercut U.S. policy interests. Outgoing ambassador Nikki Haley has excelled in defeating these Russian efforts. Nauert has shown she has the temperament, intellect, and eloquence to do the same.

I've long believed Nauert is an excellent choice for this job.

Also, she is right about D-Day.