Question: how did claire become ambassador in house of cards

title: Claire Underwood
text: Brian Stelter of The New York Times described her as Frank Underwood 's conniving wife and described the Underwoods as `` the scheming husband and wife at the center of ' House of Cards ' '' . She is a woman `` who will stop at nothing to conquer everything '' . Hank Stuever of The Washington Post describes her as an `` ice - queen wife '' . The Independent 's Sarah Hughes echoes this description , saying Claire is so dedicated to the couple 's schemes that it is clear she will execute them herself if Frank wavers . Following season 4 , Robin Wright stated that she felt Claire Underwood was the equal of Frank Underwood and demanded equal pay for her performance . Netflix acquiesced .