Trump Names New Ambassadors, Treasury Department Nominees

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 22, 2024. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has announced several new nominees for his incoming administration, including ambassadors to two European countries and officials who will work alongside his November pick for Treasury secretary.

Trump nominated billionaire Wall Street financier Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary in November.

The president-elect said in a Jan. 2 post on social media platform Truth Social that Daniel Katz, a senior fellow at the conservative think-tank Manhattan Institute and a graduate of Yale University, will serve as chief of staff at the Treasury.

Katz served as a senior adviser at the department during Trump’s first term in office.

Samantha Schwab, granddaughter of billionaire Charles Schwab, was appointed to serve as deputy chief of staff under Katz. Schwab previously served in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during Trump’s first term in office, he said.

“Samantha joins the Treasury Department from the personnel team of the Trump–Vance transition,” Trump said.

He also named Cora Alvi—who most recently worked as the national deputy finance director for his presidential campaign—to serve as a deputy chief of staff at the department.

Ken Kies, a tax attorney with nearly five decades of experience, will serve as assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury.

Kies previously served as the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, and chief republican tax counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, Trump said.

Alexandra Preate was named by Trump as senior counsel to Bessent. Hunter McMaster will serve as the director of policy planning, he said.

Ambassadors to Spain, Netherlands

In addition to the Treasury Department appointments, Trump announced that Cuban American businessman Benjamin Leon Jr. will serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Spain.

Trump said Leon is a “highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist” who left Cuba for the United States when he was 16 years old.

Leon is the founder of Leon Medical Centers (LMC), which provides health care services to Medicare recipients in the Miami-Dade area.

Investor Scott Bessent speaks in Asheville, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2024. Matt Kelley/AP Photo

Trump nominated Joe Popolo as the next U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands.

He touted Popolo, a graduate of Boston College, as 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 said.

Popolo currently serves as founder and CEO of the private investment firm Charles & Potomac Capital and as board chairman for event experience company Pinnacle Live.

Trump will begin his second term in office on Jan. 20, 2025.