Trump appoints real estate exec Steven Witkoff as Middle East envoy

President-elect Trump said Tuesday that he picked real estate executive Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East in his next administration.

“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,” he said of the Witkoff Group chairman, chief executive officer and founder. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”

Witkoff, alongside former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is set to co-chair Trump’s inaugural committee, according to the president-elect’s campaign. Trump has also said that he was playing golf with Witkoff and other friends during his second apparent assassination attempt in September.

The real estate executive and Trump have also been reportedly part of a recent cryptocurrency project alongside their sons.

Witkoff has previously praised Trump’s dealings with Israel, saying in July that his “leadership was good for Israel and the entire region.”

“With President Trump, the Middle East experienced historic levels of peace and stability. Strength prevents wars. Iran’s money was cut off which prevented their funding of global terror,” Witkoff continued in late July in a thread on the social platform X.

Witkoff testified at Trump's civil fraud trial in New York as an expert witness.