Trump appoints (and rebukes) Morgan Ortagus as deputy Middle East envoy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Morgan Ortagus on stage at the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit. Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images
President-elect Trump announced on Friday that he is appointing Morgan Ortagus, who served as State Department spokesperson in his first term, as deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace.
The intrigue: The appointment came with a rebuke. Trump noted that Ortagus came highly recommended but had criticized him in the past. "Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson," Trump wrote.
Why it matters: Ortagus is a highly experienced national security and foreign policy expert and will be a significant reinforcement to the White House "Peace Team" that will face a turbulent region with an ongoing war in Gaza.
Driving the news: Ortagus will join a team led by Trump's close friend and confidant Steve Witkoff.
- During Trump's first term in office, Ortagus served as the State Department spokesperson under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
- Before that, Ortagus worked for the Department of the Treasury as a financial intelligence analyst and also served as deputy U.S. treasury attaché to Saudi Arabia.
- She is an active U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer.
Behind the scenes: Ortagus is close to many senior Republicans like incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump's envoy for special missions, Ric Grenell.
- She also worked closely with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner during Trump's first term in office, and they remain close.
Tension point: During the Republican presidential primary before the 2016 elections, Ortagus criticized Trump's "isolationist" foreign policy and his personal behavior.
- After noting that past criticism, Trump added that he decided to appoint Ortagus regardless of their differences because "she has strong Republican support."
- "I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for them. Let's see what happens," he added.
What to watch: The priority for Trump's "peace team" will be to get a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal if one isn't concluded by Jan. 20.
- They will have to work on ending the Gaza war and laying out a "day-after" plan that will include a massive reconstruction effort.
- Witkoff and Ortagus are also expected to work on one of Trump's main foreign policy goals — reaching a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
- Trump said he wants Witkoff and Ortagus to work on bringing "calm and prosperity" to the Middle East. "I expect great results, and soon!" he wrote.
