U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed longtime ally and actual property investor Steven Witkoff as his Particular Envoy to the Center East, his crew introduced on Tuesday.
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed longtime ally and actual property investor Steven Witkoff as his Particular Envoy for the Center East, his crew introduced on Tuesday.
Within the announcement, Trump praised Witkoff as a “highly respected leader in business and philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous.” He added, “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
Nevertheless, it stays unclear what this envoy function will particularly entail beneath Trump, as particular envoys usually are not customary diplomats, Politico reported.
Below the Biden administration, particular envoys like Lise Grande and David Satterfield centered on humanitarian efforts within the Center East, whereas Trump’s earlier envoy, Jason Greenblatt, performed a key function in negotiating the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several other Arab nations, in keeping with Politico.
Witkoff, a detailed pal of Trump, has been a big marketing campaign donor and beforehand spoke on the Republican Nationwide Conference in July 2024. He’s additionally set to co-chair Trump’s inaugural committee alongside former Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.). Notably, Witkoff was current with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Seashore, Florida throughout a September assassination try in opposition to Trump.
In a press release, Trump celebrated his election victory, noting, “On Election Evening, we made historical past, and I’ve the extraordinary honor of getting been elected the forty seventh President of the US because of tens [of] hundreds of thousands of hardworking Individuals throughout the nation who supported our America First agenda.
“The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American Folks and our nation.
Because the founding father of the Witkoff Group since 1977, Witkoff has constructed a outstanding profession in actual property, main the financing, repositioning and building of over 70 properties in main enterprise districts within the U.S. in addition to overseas, in keeping with the Witkoff. His notable developments embody New York’s Instances Sq. Version and the West Hollywood Version, making him a key participant in luxurious actual property.
Along with appointing Witkoff as Particular Envoy to the Center East, Trump additionally introduced former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee because the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Politico reported.