If Trump has his way, an Arkansas businessman will be in charge at the US Embassy in London. All developments in the news blog.
00:00: US President-elect Donald Trump wants to appoint a billionaire businessman as ambassador to Great Britain. Warren Stephens is one of the most successful businessmen in the country, Trump said on the Truth Social platform he co-founded. “I am very pleased that he now has the opportunity to represent the United States as a top diplomat to one of America’s most important and beloved allies.” The person still has to be confirmed by the Senate.
The 67-year-old heads a family-run investment bank in the US state of Arkansas. As a supporter of the Republicans, he initially opposed Trump in 2016 – but later supported him, like many others. According to the Washington Post, Stephens also donated money during the primary campaign to Nikki Haley, who wanted to become her party’s presidential candidate. Haley ultimately withdrew from the race after heavy defeats in the primaries, and Trump became the nominee. The 78-year-old Republican will be sworn in as the new president on January 20th.
12:02 p.m.: US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized incumbent Joe Biden’s pardon of the president’s son Hunter Biden, describing it as an “abuse and failure of justice”. At the same time, on his online platform Truth Social, he drew parallels to the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, after which many of his followers were sentenced to prison terms. She called Trump “hostages.”
“Does the pardon granted by Joe Hunter include the January 6 hostages (literally, ‘J-6 Hostages’) who have now been in prison for years? What an abuse and failure of justice,” he wrote former and future president. After his election victory on November 5th, Trump, who ruled the USA from 2017 to 2021, will take office on January 20th.
Trump himself pardoned a number of loyal comrades shortly before the end of his first term in office. Among them was real estate entrepreneur Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. He also pardoned the former head of his campaign team, Paul Manafort, and his long-time confidant Roger Stone.
1.40 a.m.: US President Joe Biden granted his son Hunter Biden a pardon before handing down his sentence. After much consideration, he decided to intervene: “I hope Americans understand why a father and a president had to make this decision,” Biden wrote in an official statement. Read more here.
5:42 p.m.: Donald Trump has announced the appointment of Massad Boulos as adviser on Arab and Middle East affairs on his social media platform Truth Social. Trump stated: “Massad is an experienced lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world with extensive international experience.” He is a long-time supporter of Republican and conservative values, as well as an “enrichment to my campaign and crucial in building new coalitions with the Arab-American community.” Boulos is also the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany. He should now work particularly hard for peace in the Middle East.
