US media: ‘Trump wants Infantino as UN Secretary-General’

Donald Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be the next UN Secretary-General. This is reported by the New York Post, citing sources who say that Trump believes Infantino ‘is respected by everyone around the world and has a special ability to bring people together’. The next UN Secretary-General will be elected this year to replace António Guterres, who is due to step down at the end of December.

To secure the role of Secretary-General, Infantino would need to obtain the endorsement of the 15 members of the Security Council, followed by the approval of the General Assembly. It is unclear whether Infantino wants the post and whether, or to what extent, Trump has discussed it with him. The tycoon’s proposal is one of a series of nominations that an insider described to the New York Post as ‘weak’. Among the candidates are the former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, who could face opposition from the United States, and the Argentine Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who, on the other hand, could find himself having to contend with British scepticism over the Falkland Islands. With Infantino, Trump’s relations with the UN could improve. The president has never held back in criticising the United Nations for its inaction in mediating major conflicts.