President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he will name former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, a close ally, to serve as the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
In a statement, Trump said that “Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.” Trump added: “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.”
Whitaker’s foreign policy views are largely unknown. A college football player turned prosecutor, Whitaker served as U.S. attorney for the southern district of Iowa and worked as a commentator before joining the Justice Department in 2017 as Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff. Whitaker was seen as a contender for attorney general or another top law enforcement job in a second Trump administration. He has never served in a foreign policy or national security-focused role.
A review of his X account found only three posts mentioning Ukraine — one of which saw him praise Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, for donating protective equipment to Ukraine in the early days of Russia’s 2022 invasion. Days after the invasion, he also wrote on social media: “It is time to put #russia on the sidelines of everything.”
But Whitaker, who led the Justice Department in an acting capacity following Sessions’ resignation as AG (at Trump’s request), is a close ally of the president-elect. He defended Trump during his first impeachment amid allegations that Trump held up military aid for Ukraine as he pressured the Ukrainian government to produce damaging information against Hunter Biden, son of then-2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden. Whitaker also joined Trump on the campaign trail in 2024.
Trump on the campaign trail promised to play hardball with the transatlantic alliance, which Biden helped revitalize amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And Whitaker in Brussels will likely play a key role in nudging European member states that are not yet spending two percent of their gross domestic products on defense to meet spending targets.