Trump taps top ally Richard Grenell as envoy for ‘special missions’

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced that former Ambassador to Germany and top loyalist Richard Grenell will serve as a presidential envoy for “special missions,” ending weeks of speculation about the bombastic ally’s role in the second Trump administration.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that his former acting director of national intelligence and special envoy for dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo “will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea.”

The scope of the newly created position is unclear and the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for further details. Given the apparent focus on global flashpoints, It is possible Grenell’s portfolio could include Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Haiti or any number of other crises.

The announcement solves the mystery of the role Grenell would occupy in the second Trump administration, after Grenell’s name was conspicuously absent for the torrent of early senior administration and cabinet roles. Grenell had pushed to be named secretary of State, but lost out to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, frustrating more right-leaning foreign policy voices. He also turned down the role of director of national intelligence.

Speculation had then turned to the question of whether Grenell would be appointed to be a special envoy for Iran or the Russia-Ukraine crisis, or receive a high-profile ambassadorship.

In recent days, Trump had signaled the loyalist would end up with an important post. Trump on Wednesday night posted on Truth Social that: “Richard Grenell is a fabulous person, A STAR. He will be someplace, high up!”

Grenell’s position could set him up for conflict with Rubio and it was not clear from the announcement how Grenell’s role will interact with the State Department.

Trump’s post did not specify whether Grenell would face a confirmation process. Special envoys, by law, must receive Senate confirmation, but the Biden administration has at times gotten around that by tweaking job descriptions. Grenell, a pugilistic defender of the president-elect, could face some criticism from lawmakers, but is still likely to be confirmed if he faces a Senate confirmation process.