From golf to the Gulf: Who is Trump’s new Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff?
Trump's long-time friend will face a tough job in trying to quell a regional war that has been raging since Oct. 7, 2023, between Israel, Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Steve Witkoff was playing golf with Donald Trump on Sept. 15 at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when an assassination attempt against the Republican firebrand was foiled by a Secret Service agent on patrol.
Witkoff, who is one of the US-president elect’s closest friends, will soon be more focused on the Gulf than on golf: Trump has nominated him to be special envoy to the Middle East under the upcoming Trump administration.
Witkoff, 67, who is Jewish and pro-Israel, does not have a background in diplomacy, instead being a prominent real estate tycoon like his future boss.
“Steve is a highly respected leader in business and philanthropy who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous. Steve will be an unrelenting voice for peace and make us all proud,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday.
