President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that former ambassador to Germany and top loyalist Richard Grenell will serve as presidential envoy for “special missions,” ending weeks of speculation about the bombastic ally’s role in the second Trump administration.
In a Truth Social postTrump said his former acting director of national intelligence and special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue “will work in some of the most troubled places in the world, including Venezuela and North Korea.”
The scope of the newly created position is unclear and Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for more details. Given the apparent focus on global flashpoints, Grenell’s portfolio is likely to include Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Haiti or any other crisis.
The announcement resolves the mystery of Grenell’s role in the second Trump administration, after Grenell’s name was conspicuously absent from the flurry of initial senior administration and Cabinet positions. Grenell had pushed to be named secretary of state, but lost to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, thwarting more right-wing foreign policy voices. He also turned down the position of director of national intelligence.
Speculation then turned to the question of whether Grenell would be appointed special envoy for Iran or the Russia-Ukraine crisis, or whether he would receive a high-profile embassy.
In recent days, Trump had signaled that the loyalist would end up with an important job. Triumph Wednesday night he posted on Truth Social that: “Richard Grenell is a fabulous person, A STAR. It will be somewhere, high up!
Grenell’s position could set him up for conflict with Rubio, and it was not clear from the announcement how Grenell’s role will interact with the State Department.
Trump’s post did not specify whether Grenell would face a confirmation process. Special envoys, by law, must receive Senate confirmation, but the Biden administration has sometimes sidestepped that. modifying job descriptions. Grenell, a pugilistic defender of the president-elect, could face some criticism from lawmakers but is still likely to be confirmed if he faces a Senate confirmation process.