‘There is nothing more important than bringing Americans home,’ Boehler said in response to the president-elect’s announcement.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 4 he has chosen Adam Boehler as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
The role involves helping to bring home Americans who have been wrongfully detained abroad.
While the State Department position does not usually require Senate confirmation, Trump said Boehler will have the rank of ambassador, which requires confirmation by the upper congressional chamber.
In a
post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that Boehler played a crucial role in brokering the Abraham Accords during his first term, in which Israel normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
Trump said Boehler also negotiated with the Taliban, resulting in a deal for an eventual U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which took place in 2021.
“Adam knows that NOONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader,” Trump said. “Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.”
Boehler expressed appreciation for being selected, thanking Trump for “the opportunity and honor to serve you and our great nation.”
“There is nothing more important than bringing Americans home. Under @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, there will finally be action and consequences. We will BRING THEM HOME,” Boehler wrote in a Dec. 4 social media post on X.
In his new role, Boehler will likely be tasked with securing the release of hostages, including Americans, being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Trump has
warned Hamas that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not released by the time he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.
The current presidential special envoy for hostage affairs is Roger Carstens, who helped secure the
release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan, and WNBA player Brittney Griner from Russia. He also was a key player in the
release last week of three Americans wrongfully detained in China.
Robert O'Brien previously served in the role before becoming Trump’s fourth national security adviser.
During the first Trump administration, Boehler served as the first CEO of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, which “partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today,” according to the institution’s
website. Boehler was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to the role.
Boehler is currently the CEO of Rubicon Partners, which is “an entrepreneurial healthcare investment firm focused on building and growing transformational companies,” according to the company’s
website.
He is also a
board member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
