Trump picks former acting US AG Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador
Former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker was tapped Wednesday as U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.
Trump said in a news release announcing the appointment that “strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.”
“Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability – He will put America first,” Trump said in the news release.
The NATO appointment is seen as a potentially sensitive position, as Trump has been critical of the alliance in the past — specifically, criticizing U.S. spending and obligations to the organization. Trump has said on the 2024 campaign trail that the U.S. may not intervene on behalf of NATO-allied countries if they do not contribute financially and face a threat such as Russia expanding its war in Europe.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, would you protect us?’ I said, ‘You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent?’ He said, ‘yes,'” Trump said at a February rally in South Carolina. “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You’ve got to pay.”
As the war between Russia and Ukraine remains ongoing, the importance of supporting official NATO allies has been emphasized by U.S. lawmakers from both parties — as have discussions on allowing Ukraine to join the alliance. However, future support for Ukraine in the conflict under the Trump administration is unclear. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican picked by Trump to become the U.S. ambassador for the United Nations, is no longer standing by her previous position pushing for Ukraine to join NATO, according to CNN.
While Whitaker does not have notable foreign policy or national security experience, he comes to the position with a legal background from serving in the former Trump administration’s Department of Justice and as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004 to 2009. In the upcoming administration, Trump announced earlier in November his intent to nominate U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz for the attorney general position, a controversial choice as Gaetz is currently the subject of a congressional ethics investigation.
Whitaker, an Iowa native, has been a staple on the campaign trail leading up to Trump’s election in 2024 as one of the few members of his previous administration to continue supporting and appearing with Trump. He has criticized the legal challenges Trump faced as president and in subsequent years.
Whitaker rallied for Trump in Iowa regularly in the lead-up to the January Iowa Republican caucuses and served as a member of his entourage at events like the Iowa State Fair. He also appeared as an Iowa surrogate in swing states like Pennsylvania in recent months before the Nov. 5 general election, when Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
In Trump’s administration, Whitaker served as acting attorney general from November 2018 through February 2019 after former AG Jeff Sessions resigned from the position. Before the appointment, Whitaker worked as Sessions’ chief of staff.
Before joining Trump’s administration, Whitaker had made multiple runs at Iowa positions, including an unsuccessful GOP primary campaign for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2014 where he lost to now-U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. He applied for an appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2010 and ran for state treasurer in 2002. As Trump noted in his announcement, Whitaker is also a former football player for the University of Iowa, winning a Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1993.
Robin Opsahl is an Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter covering the state Legislature and politics. They have experience covering government, elections and more at media organizations including Roll Call, the Sacramento Bee and the Wausau Daily Herald.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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