Trump nominated banker Warren Stephens as British ambassador
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated businessman Warren Stephens as US ambassador to the UK.
“Warren always dreamed of serving the United States full-time,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social. “I am delighted that he will now have the opportunity as a top diplomat to represent the United States before one of America’s most beloved and beloved allies.”
Stephens, CEO of Arkansas-based private investment bank Stephens Inc, has donated millions to Trump’s re-election campaign this year.
If his nomination is successful, Stephens will help maintain the so-called “special relationship” between the US and UK.
The two countries maintain close military, intelligence and cultural ties.
Trump has pledged to reform America’s relationships abroad, pledging to implement the principle of “America First” in foreign policy.
The role of US ambassador to Britain is one of the most coveted diplomatic posts, and presidents often assign the role to prominent supporters.
During his first term in office, Trump appointed Woody Johnson, a top Republican donor and owner of the American football team New York Jets, as UK ambassador.
Barack Obama has chosen lawyer and longtime Democratic Party fundraiser Louis Susman as his first emissary to the United Kingdom – or the Court of St James.
However, Stephens has not always supported Trump’s nominees. In 2016, when Trump first ran for president, Stephens donated about $4 million to political groups seeking to block Trump’s rise, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported at the time.
The investment banker also donated more than $2 million to a political action committee supporting former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in her unsuccessful bid for president in 2024, the watchdog said. campaign finance OpenSecrets said.
However, when Trump finally won this year’s Republican presidential primary, Stephens threw his support behind him. Federal campaign finance data shows he also donated to Republican groups and U.S. Senate candidates this year.
In a statement, Stephens said he was honored to be nominated.
“I expressed to President Trump that I would be extremely proud to serve our country and our administration, work to implement the President’s agenda, and further strengthen our alliance. longstanding between the United States and the United Kingdom,” he said.
He and his wife also maintain a charitable organization, the Harriet and Warren Stephens Family Foundation, which has donated to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the University of Mississippi, and Episcopal College in Little Rock.
