In an unusual nomination even by his standards, President-elect Donald Trump nominated diplomat and former Fox News contributor Morgan Ortagus to serve as Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace on Friday.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump admitted that he had squabbled with Ortagus in the past and added that nominations like this “usually don’t work out.”
“I am pleased to announce Morgan Ortagus as Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace… Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” Trump wrote. “She will hopefully be an asset to Steve [Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East].”
Ortagus previously served as a State Department spokesperson under Trump and worked before that as a national security contributor for Fox News. It was on that network that Ortagus blasted Trump’s “isolationist” foreign policy and “disgusting” behavior, a 2019 CNN report found, before later reinventing herself as a pro-MAGA personality.
The president-elect indicated he could look past her anti-Trump record but seemed less than thrilled about the appointee in the announcement. He went so far as to clarify that he was mainly throwing a bone to his GOP allies with the pick, despite personal reservations.
“These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens,” Trump wrote. “Good luck, Morgan!”
Ortagus has the backing of high-ranking Republicans, including many in the national security community. Axios reported that her appointment was boosted by closeness with Trump’s Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Trump’s national security adviser pick Mike Waltz.
