Elise Stefanik on Trump Pulling Her Promotion to US Ambassador to United Nations: 'Proud to Be a Team Player'

Rep. Elise Stefanik defended President Donald Trump's decision to pull her nomination to be the next ambassador to the UN in order to preserve the GOP's narrow majority in the House of Representatives, saying she is "proud to be a team player."

"I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I'm committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents," Stefanik said on Fox News' "Hannity."

Trump announced the decision on Thursday, saying that "as we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress." "We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning," Trump added on his social media platform, Truth Social.

With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations."

Axios reported on Thuesday that Stefanik was "crushed and scrambled to reverse Trump's decision before he announced it on Truth Social," but the president refused to take any chances as Republicans currently hold a 218-213 majority in the House of Representatives, the smallest margin since 1931.

The Republican leadership is signaling discomfort with the state of some upcoming special elections, especially the one in Florida's 6th district, which will take place on April 1. Even if candidate Randy Fine manages to take the seat, Trump is worried a narrower-than-expected result could fuel a narrative that the GOP is already struggling, even in ruby-red districts Republicans won by large margins only months ago.

By Monday, Fine had raised less than $1 million and currently has a little over $90,000 on hand, while Democrat Josh Weil raised $9 million and has $1.2 million on hand.

It is unclear if Democrats' cash advantage will be enough to pull the upset, considering that Trump won 65% of the vote in the district in November. But Weil, a teacher from Orlando, is moving forward, recently telling the Daytona Beach news-Journal that he is not "running against Mike Waltz, who is their chosen representative time after time," but against "Randy Fine, who is someone they have never elected or voted on, who is someone they have never sat back and said, 'This is our guy.'"