'Presidential betrayal': What Republicans believe Trump 'owes' MAGA loyalist Elise Stefanik

FILE PHOTO: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., arrives for the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
When President Donald Trump announced last month that he was pulling his MAGA loyalist Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-N,Y.) nomination to be United States ambassador to the United Nations, it marked a low point in her career.
However, a new report claims that Stefanik did not perceive this last-minute "presidential betrayal" as a humiliation, likely because Trump promised to make it up to her.
"Just days before the Senate planned to confirm her as the next ambassador to the United Nations, President Donald Trump was on the other line asking her to withdraw," said an article published in the Atlantic Tuesday.
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"By way of consolation, the president assured Stefanik that he’d make it up to her: 'You’re going to get a much bigger job,' Trump said, according to three people familiar with the conversation."
Stefanik told the Atlantic reporter Russel Burman she is "excited for what lies ahead."
The reporter, who cited people who have followed the New York Republican's career, said many think she could use this setback to her advantage: “The president of the United States fucking owes her,” said a Republican official, who was not named by the reporter.
"Stefanik wants that favor repaid, so instead of griping about a presidential betrayal, she is reaffirming her loyalty to Trump," the piece says.
Trump requires her support in the House to push through an economic agenda she previously disagreed with, and she is reportedly prepared to provide that and more.
The article notes that within hours of Trump announcing her departure, she was back on Fox News praising his leadership and criticizing his opponents.
Stefanik’s sudden withdrawal was particularly surprising because, unlike some other cabinet picks, her nomination faced little to no real opposition. She passed her confirmation hearing smoothly and appeared to be on track to receive bipartisan backing.
But since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could not afford to lose her vote in the House, where his slim majority is having difficulty advancing Trump’s agenda, her nomination as ambassador had to be withdrawn.
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“I’ve been counted out many times in my political career,” she told the reporter, adding, “This is just Chapter 1.”
Whether or not Stefanik will get the "much bigger job" the president promised her remains to be seen.
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