US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the nomination of the former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as the United States Ambassador to Israel.
“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel,” Trump said in a statement.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!” he added.
Following his victory over Democratic candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump is moving to fill out his foreign policy and national security team ahead of his formal inauguration in January 2025.
On Tuesday, Trump also appointed Congressman Mike Waltz as his National Security Advisor.
Trump is expected to name 53-year-old Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State, The New York Times and other US news outlets reported, citing sources.
Earlier on Monday, Trump nominated Republican Representative Elise Stefanik as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations, as reported by CNN.
Trump praised Stefanik as “an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”
“I am honoured to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement, as reported by CNN.
Stefanik serves as the House Republican Conference Chair and is the most senior Republican in New York, according to her official website. She was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress when she first took office in 2014.
Trump also has named Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in his last administration will be in charge of the nation’s borders.
In a historic political comeback, Trump won a second term as President of the United States after securing 295 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, defeating Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, who garnered 226 votes. This makes Trump the first US president since 1892 to return to office after losing a previous election.
Trump’s return to the White House marks only the second time in US history that a president has served two non-consecutive terms. The first such instance was Grover Cleveland, who served as president in 1884 and 1892. Trump had earlier served as US President from 2016 to 2020.