Trump announces new treasury and ambassador nominees
President-elect Trump announced several appointments for his Treasury Department and choices for ambassadors for two European countries.
In multiple Thursday Truth Social posts, Trump outlined who will work alongside his Treasury chief Scott Bessent, along with his picks for ambassadors to Spain and to the Netherlands.
Trump picked Ken Kies to work as the assistant secretary for tax policy. Kies, a tax lawyer with nearly five decades of experience, served as chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation in Congress.
He chose Alexandra Preate to be the next senior counsel to Bessent. Trump said that Preate has worked “closely with former Director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, as well as my long-time economic advisors, Dr. Arthur B. Laffer and Stephen Moore.”
For the director of policy planning, he selected Hunter McMaster.
Trump chose Daniel Katz, a senior fellow at the conservative think-tank Manhattan Institute, to be the department’s chief of staff. Katz previously served as a senior advisor at the Department of the Treasury.
Katz’s deputies will be Samantha Schwab, who served in Trump’s first term in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, and Cora Alvi, who was the national deputy finance director for his presidential campaign.
Samantha Schwab is the granddaughter of Charles Schwab, a billionaire founder of brokerage firm The Charles Schwab Corporation. Schwab, the financial executive, donated to a variety of Republican candidates and political action committees (PACs) during the 2024 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
Trump praised all of the appointees as “incredible, hardworking Patriots, who will work tirelessly to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
On Thursday, Trump announced that Benjamin Leon Jr., a Cuban-American businessman, as his choice for ambassador to Spain. Leon Jr., who made his name in the health care and wellness industry.
Leon Jr. donated at least $2 million to Trump 47 Commitee and president-elect aligned Super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. during the 2024 election cycle, FEC reports show.
The president-elect selected Joe Popolo Jr. to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. He is the founder and CEO of Charles & Potomac Capital, LLC, a private investment firm based in Dallas.
“Joe is a successful businessman and philanthropist across many different sectors. For over 20 years, he helped transform the Freeman Company into the World’s leading live event brand experience company,” Trump wrote.