[6][7] During UW-Madison's spring 2018 commencement ceremony, Thomas-Greenfield was awarded an honorary doctor of law by Chancellor Rebecca Blank.

[13][14] In 2017, she was terminated by the Trump administration as part of what was a "purge of senior State Department officials and career professionals over nearly four years," according to the Los Angeles Times.

[21] During the confirmation hearing on her nomination for U.N. ambassador, Thomas-Greenfield said she regretted giving a speech to a Beijing-backed Confucius Institute in 2019 when she was working for a private consulting firm.

She largely agreed with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international policies, raising concerns about the People's Republic of China's "malign force" and "debt traps and tactics" in Africa and beyond.

[22][23] In February 2021, it was reported that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was delaying a committee vote on her nomination due to her 2019 comments on the People's Republic of China.

[24] Thomas-Greenfield has vowed to stand "against the unfair targeting of Israel" for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, saying that the movement "verges on antisemitism.

Greenfield's third term as President of the UNSC saw the Fall of Damascus to Syrian rebels occur on the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th.

She said that the United States "will keep standing up and speaking out until China's government stops its crimes against humanity and the genocide of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.

[33] On October 18, 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, the UN Security Council voted on a resolution to temporarily pause hostilities to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza.

She stated: "Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace.