Donald Trump announced his choice for a pair of desirable embassy postings Thursday night, with one top billionaire donor getting the coveted assignment of Madrid.
He is also naming the officials who will steer his tax cut plans from the Treasury Department.
Trump chose Benjamin Leon, 80, a Cuban American businessman who donated about $3 million to Trump causes during the campaign, as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Spain. He is a longtime backer of Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, and shares some of Rubio’s anti-Castro government views.
‘Benjamín is a very successful businessman, equestrian enthusiast and philanthropist. He came to the United States from communist Cuba at age 16, with just five dollars in his pocket, and built his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business,’ Trump said in a statement announcing the selection late Thursday.
He sold his company Clínica Asociación Cubana to United Healthcare in the 1990s, and once paid $4.2 million for a racehorse, the New York Times reported.
Trump named another donor, Joe Popolo, Jr., a Texas investor, to be ambassador to the Netherlands. He gave more than $800,000 to pro-Trump PACs and also donated to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
‘For over 20 years, he helped transform the Freeman Company into the World’s leading live event brand experience company,’ Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.
He also highlighted some awards on his resume, a feather in Popolo’s cap that appeals to Trump, who bagged Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ for the second time last month and who repeatedly claims he once won a Michigan ‘man of the year’ award.
‘Joe is an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, and also a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award. He is a proud graduate of Boston College, a member of their Board of Regents, and also, a Patron of the Arts in the Vatican Museum,’ Trump gushed.
They are just some of the top donors, golf pals, and loyalists Trump is dispatching to embassies around the world, although the nominations require Senate confirmation.
Donald Trump announced he is naming major donors to ambassadorial posts in Spain and the Netherlands
The day before Christmas, Trump announced he was nominating Somers Farkas, whose husband Jonathan is heir to a department store fortune, as ambassador to Malta.
‘Somers is a model, philanthropist, documentary producer, and very successful businesswoman,’ Trump said.
Callista Gingrich, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is his pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. She was previously ambassador to the Vatican in Trump’s first term.
Billionaire Tilman J. Fertitta is Trump’s pick for ambassador to Italy. She owns the Houston Rockets and is CEO of a hospitality group.
Presidents traditionally designate about a third of embassies to donors or friends, although Trump has taken the unusual step of naming son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father Charles to ambassador to France and Donald Trump, Jr.’s ex Kimberly Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece.
Trump also announced some Treasury appointments, including naming longtime Republican congressional tax staffer Ken Kies to a top Treasury post. Kies, a top tax lobbyist whose clients have included Microsoft and big banks.
Among his top aides will be Samantha Schwab, the granddaughter of billionaire Charles Schwab.
She served on the Trump transition on the personnel team. Schwab worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs during Trump’s first term at the age of 21. The role drew notice when her grandfather donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee in 2017.
Samantha Schwab (r), granddaughter of billionaire Charles Schwab, is taking a Treasury Department post
‘Benjamín is a very successful businessman, equestrian enthusiast and philanthropist, Trump said as he announced he is nominating Benjamin Leon to be ambassador to Spain
She will be deputy chief of staff, reporting to Daniel Katz of the libertarian Manhattan Institute at a time when the Trump team is contemplating extending the expiring Trump tax cuts while Democrats are calling to retool their party’s economic message.
Hunter McMaster, the nephew of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Trump fundraiser, is taking on a policy role. Alexandra Preate, who has done press work for former Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow, is joining as senior counselor.