Trump Administration Urged to Lead as UN Chief Race Leans Left

The Trump administration is being urged to act decisively to ensure the next United Nations secretary-general aligns with U.S. and Western values, amid concerns that the institution is increasingly anti-American. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ term ends Dec. 31, 2026, and his tenure has faced criticism for perceived bias, particularly toward Israel. Experts stress that the U.S. must carefully influence the selection process.

Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told reporters, “As long as the United States continues to make the mistake of being the largest bankroller of the United Nations … it ought to care deeply about who leads the organisation.” Jonathan Wachtel, former senior policy advisor to U.S. ambassadors at the UN, added, “Since its inception, the United Nations has been a frontline of the Cold War, and today it is increasingly a frontline of hostility toward the United States… The next secretary-general must … be a leader with backbone and conviction to champion the ideals on which the U.N. was founded.”

With the selection process over a year away, member states have started nominating candidates. Brett Schaefer of the American Enterprise Institute noted, “The announced and rumored candidates … are, for the most part, either U.N. insiders or on the left side of the political spectrum… It’s hard to say that the U.S. would be willing to support any of them at the current stage.”

Among the declared candidates, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is seen as most acceptable to the U.S., praised for his handling of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Other contenders include former Bolivian Vice President David Choquehuanca, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, and former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, though experts doubt their alignment with U.S. interests. Two additional candidates are Colombe Cahen-Salvador and Bruno Donat.

Possible future nominees include Jacinda Ardern, Alicia Bárcena, María Fernanda Espinosa, Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed, Kristalina Georgieva, and Achim Steiner.

Bayefsky warned, “A long list of anti-American secretaries-general, topped off by the profoundly hostile Antonio Guterres, have done enormous damage to America’s international relations … We take a back seat in this election at our peril.”