WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will pick State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN), U.S. media reported Thursday, citing sources.

Nauert, a former Fox news anchor, will succeed departing Nikki Haley who announced in October her intention to leave the post, according to a Bloomberg report.

Trump, who has accepted Haley's resignation, will formally announce his pick for the next U.S. envoy to the UN on Friday, Fox News reported, citing multiple sources.

Nauert, 48, assumed her current position in April 2017. She was reportedly a "leading contender" for the envoy post after Dina Powell, a former senior White House official, announced her withdrawal from the competition.

Haley's resignation came as a surprise as many high-level administration officials had been blindsided about the news. Haley said then she will remain in the post till the end of the year.