President-elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as the next US ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Stephens, 67, is chairman, president and CEO of Stephens Inc., a privately held financial services company headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The businessman who is reportedly worth more than $3 billion is a conservative megadonor and one of the richest men in Arkansas.
He will now have the opportunity to serve the United States from Winfield House, the palatial residence of the US ambassador overlooking Regents Park in London.
There was speculation that Trump would choose New York Jets owner Woody Johnson for the role for a second time, following his post in the first administration.
“I am pleased to announce that Warren A. Stephens, one of the nation’s most successful businessmen, has been nominated to serve as United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, a role in which he will serve as our representative to Great Britain,” Trump said in a statement about his Truth Social.
“Over the past 38 years, while serving as president, chairman and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc., Warren built a wonderful financial services company while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist,” he continued. “Warren always dreamed of serving the United States full-time.”
“I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as a top diplomat, representing the U.S. to one of America’s most cherished and cherished allies. Congratulations to Warren, his wife Harriet, their three children, Miles, John and Laura, and their six grandchildren!’ Read Trump’s Truth Social post.
Donald Trump has nominated billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as the next US ambassador to Britain. He is photographed with his wife Harriet at the 38th annual Arthur Ross Awards at The University Club in May 2019
Warren Stephens will stay at Winfield House, the palatial residence of the US ambassador overlooking Regents Park in London
Stephens was the top political donor in the state of Arkansas, donating $21.2 million to conservative groups in 2023 and 2024. The Arkansas Times reports this.
He wasn’t completely in Trump’s corner either.
Early on, he invested $1 million in the presidential campaign of former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Hutchinson was one of three anti-Trump candidates running in the 2024 Republican Party primaries.
In 2016, Stephens spent millions trying to keep Trump from winning the Republican nomination, along with his brother Jackson “Steve” Stephens Jr.
They were considered the top donors in the conservative “stop Trump” movement, pledging about $3.5 million for the effort.
But the billionaire donor eventually came around.
Trump invited Stephens and other top Republican donors to Trump Tower in September and complained he didn’t have enough money to keep the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, at bay, according to reports a report from The New York Times.
Am. Jane Hartley was chosen by President Joe Biden for the ambassadorship to the Court of St. James after nearly six months in office. She had previously served as the U.S. ambassador to France. Trump appointed a British ambassador twice before taking office
A photo of the US Embassy in London, which officially opened in 2018
After that meeting, Stephens handed out several million more dollars, including $1 million to Make America Great Again Inc., a Trump-aligned super PAC, according to data from OpenSecrets.org.
He will replace Jane Hartley, who has been ambassador to the United Kingdom since 2022.
Traditionally, the ambassadorship to the Court of St. James is one of the first announced – and goes to a friend or top donor of the US president.
But it took months for President Joe Biden to appoint his ambassador to Britain
Among those eligible were billionaire donor and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who died in October 2021.
Hartley previously served as U.S. ambassador to France under Democratic President Barack Obama.
Her nomination was announced in July 2021.
Like Stephens, Trump had announced his choice of Johnson before entering the White House in January 2017.