Donald Trump nominates Kristi McCormick as U.S. ambassador to North Macedonia
Nomination announced by the White House must be approved by the U.S. Senate before she can take up the post.
President Donald Trump has nominated Kristi McCormick of California to serve as the next United States Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia. The White House announcement lists McCormick among several ambassadorial nominees whose appointments now require confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Career in election law and U.S. election administration
McCormick is a lawyer who, according to the White House notice, served as a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from December 2014 until July 2026. During her tenure she led a reorganization of the commission, organized summits on election data and accessibility, and took part in election observation across nearly all U.S. states and in multiple foreign countries.
Before joining the commission, she worked from 2006 as a senior legal counsel in the Voting Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2009 to 2010 she was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as a U.S. elections expert, overseeing national elections in Iraq. Earlier in her career she served in Virginia’s judicial institutions, including as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney and as a member of legal teams that represented the state before the Supreme Court of the United States.
The White House statement reads: "Kristi McCormick, of California, to be appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of North Macedonia."
The notice also mentions that McCormick has been described in political reporting as close to White House chief of staff appointee Stephen Miller and that she has on several occasions made controversial remarks asserting that Democrats rely on votes cast by illegal migrants to win U.S. elections.
Since the beginning of the year, the chargé d’affaires role in Skopje has been performed by Nikol Varns, after the previous ambassador, Andjela Prajs Ageler, was recalled by the Trump administration following three years in Skopje as the tenth U.S. ambassador. If confirmed by the Senate, McCormick would replace the current acting head of mission.
Photo: press material from the event
