Is Donald Trump about to appoint a gay Ambassador?
President-elect Donald Trump is to appoint a gay man as US Ambassador to the UN, it has been rumoured.
Richard Grenell is widely tipped to be the billionaire’s choice having served under four UN Ambassadors when George W. Bush was President.
Grenell, who is a registered Republican, has broke ranks with many in his party by advocating LGBT rights. He supported the Supreme Court decision to legalise same-sex marriage in 2015.
While working at the UN he was unsuccessful in having his partner, Matt Lashey, listed as a spouse in the organisation’s Blue Book.
Briefly, during Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful White House run in 2012, he served as an advisor on national security but is believed to have resigned abruptly over issues with his sexuality.
NewNowNext reports he has been critical of Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and Hillary Clinton’s lack of action on Boko Haram.
If given the nod by Trump, Grenell would still have to be confirmed by the Senate.
He would be the first openly gay man to fill a Cabinet-level foreign policy post.
It’s also believed the President-elect is considering a woman for the Republican National Committee chair. Ronna Romney McDaniel would be the first woman to hold the position in decades.
Some critics have said the move is only a way to get more far right appointments nominated.
