The US President-elect, , has announced the appointment of former State Department representative, Morgan Ortagus, to the position of Deputy Envoy for the .
Ortagus will work with Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s first appointees after his election in November. Both are of Jewish origin.
Trump’s announcement was made via his platform, Truth Social, in a less than enthusiastic tone. “Ortagus fought me for three years, but I hope she learned her lesson,” Trump said, without elaborating.
Ortagus had previously criticized Trump’s “isolationist foreign policy” during the 2016 presidential campaign. However, after Trump secured the nomination, she changed her stance and supported his candidacy, which led to her appointment as a representative of the State Department during his first term.
Trump also said Ortagus’ appointment is a result of . “These things usually don’t work, but he has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for them,” Trump wrote.
He added that Ortagus could prove valuable to Witkoff, whom he described as “an extraordinary leader and talent,” as they work to promote peace and prosperity in the Middle East. “I expect great results, and soon!” he emphasized.
Ortagus’ reaction was enthusiastic
Ortagus said she was “honoured” to be appointed. “To be given the opportunity to once again represent my country and the Trump administration in a critical diplomatic role is a dream come true,” he wrote to X.
“The most important thing” under Trump is that the U.S. brings “peace and stability to a troubled region,” said Ortagus, who expressed gratitude for playing a “small” role in that direction.
— Morgan Ortagus (@MorganOrtagus)
The History of Ortagus
During Trump’s first term, he served as State Department press secretary under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Prior to that, she worked at the Ministry of Finance as a financial intelligence analyst and served as deputy attaché of the Ministry of Finance in Saudi Arabia.
He is currently an active duty member of the US Navy Intelligence Reserve.
Ortagus maintains close ties to senior Republicans including Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Mike Waltz and Ric Grenell, and was an aide to Jared Kushner during Trump’s first term.
Trump’s Peace Team, led by Steve Witkoff and Ortagus, has as its immediate priority a cease-fire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza. At the same time, they will work to end the conflict and draw up a reconstruction plan for the next day.
Another key mission of the group is to reach a historic peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, one of Trump’s main foreign policy pursuits. “I expect great results, and soon!” Trump said.
