President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had nominated Montgomery native Lynda "Lindy" Blanchard to serve as ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome.
Blanchard has been aligned with Trump since his first administration. Trump selected her to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia in 2018, and she was confirmed by the Senate in 2019.
After resigning when Trump failed to win a second term in 2020, Blanchard briefly sought a spot on the U.S. Senate before dropping out to run for Alabama governor, coming in second to incumbent Kay Ivey in the 2022 Republican primary.
On Friday, Trump announced Blanchard's appointment on Truth Social, praising her for her work in his first term and expressing confidence in her newest position if she is confirmed.
"During my First Term, Lynda did a great job as U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia," Trump wrote. "She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Science from Auburn University and, alongside her husband, she helped build a very successful Real Estate company. I know she will work incredibly hard for our Nation. Congratulations Lynda!"
Blanchard told 1819 News that she was "excited" to be once again chosen for service in the Trump White House after the gap between terms.
"As everything, you try and do your best and are actually blessed with an open door that you accept," Blanchard said. "It's always wonderful to be able to say that you served the president in the first term, and it's even more amazing that you're nominated for a second time. So, we're real excited."
Assuming Blanchard is confirmed in her new position as ambassador, she will serve as a link between the U.S. Government and Rome-based international organizations, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
As the largest contributor to the UN system worldwide, the United States ensures that the organizations are well run and that their activities complement and enhance U.S. national and foreign policy objectives.
Blanchard anticipates this confirmation process will be swifter and far less contentious than her previous one, which took just over a year after a laps between the 115th and 116th Congress.
"I'll just be filling out the paperwork; that's what I've been doing this week," she continued. "From there, it all goes to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Hopefully, I don't have to go to the floor of the Senate for a cloture vote like I did before, which took a long time because I was representing the First Lady and there was a lot of pushback from the other party, so this time I'm hoping it will be much, much faster.
"I'm very familiar with what the United Nations in Rome does, and I look forward to serving the president and working at the pleasure of the president. I will find out much more details when I arrive, just like I did the last time, and I was able to accomplish quite a bit in that short period."
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