Richard Grenell speaks at a ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia, October 2023. President-elect Donald Trump announced that he has selected the longtime foreign policy advisor to be his special envoy on a special mission.
Darko Vojinovic/AP/AP
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Darko Vojinovic/AP/AP
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named longtime foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell as special envoy, tasked with helping the incoming administration address its toughest foreign policy challenges. announced that it had been given. assignment.
Grenell served as ambassador to Germany, special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and acting director of national intelligence during the Trump administration.
He was also a candidate for Secretary of State, but Trump chose to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
President Trump announced the appointment in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, “Rick will be working in some of the hottest places in the world, including Venezuela and North Korea.”
During the Trump administration’s first term, Grenell developed a reputation for adopting a sometimes controversial diplomatic approach that unsettled allies and Washington’s foreign policy establishment. But the president-elect, who sees the value in speaking candidly with allies, praised his style.
Grenell remained close to Trump even after he left office in 2021, sometimes serving as a key foreign policy adviser.
Trump was in the room with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy when he met with him in September. Grenell is pushing for a peace deal that would preserve Ukrainian territory while allowing for “autonomous regions” that Russia could continue to control.
He also advised against expanding NATO to include Ukraine, saying, like President Trump, the alliance should not expand until current members meet the alliance’s defense spending goals. Members of the Transatlantic Alliance have long pledged to spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, but some countries are still falling short of their targets.
He was an early supporter of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, hosting multiple events for the Republican candidate focused on the economy and national security.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention, Grenell echoed President Trump’s belief that “it’s time to put America first” on the world stage, and that China and Russia view President Joe Biden’s administration as weak. he claimed.
During the 2024 election campaign, President Trump said he would not defend NATO members who fail to meet their defense spending targets, raising concerns among some allies and telling potential allies that Russia would “do what they want”. He warned that he would “encourage” them to do whatever it takes. “Delinquent”.
Grenell downplayed Trump’s criticism of NATO, saying the only talk about leaving the alliance entirely “was really from the media.”
“What we’re saying is don’t come to the wedding without a gift,” Grenell said.
Grenell has been part of the Trump campaign’s outreach efforts to Arab-American voters in Michigan, despite the state’s history of banning immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries. , the president-elect made gains in traditionally Democratic districts. Grenell organized pro-Trump events with Arab American voters, including a rally in Troy, Michigan, in May.
Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesperson for the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, had a history of criticizing Trump before embracing him, like many other Republicans.
Grenell, who is openly gay and once an adviser to moderate Republicans like 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney and a supporter of gay marriage, is an openly gay former reality TV star. After Starr became the Republican nominee, he deleted social media posts calling Trump “reckless” and “dangerous.” In 2016.
President Trump also announced Saturday that he would appoint Devin Nunes, CEO of the president-elect’s Truth Social platform, to lead the President’s Advisory Council, which oversees the U.S. intelligence community.
Nunes will continue to lead the Trump Media & Technology Group. Mr. Trump is the company’s largest shareholder.
The former California congressman served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and was one of President Trump’s closest allies in Congress during the president-elect’s first term.
