Former US ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next head of mission in Mexico, a strategic ally of Washington in the management of immigration.
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, chose his country's former ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson as Washington's next top representative in neighboring Mexico, an important trading partner to which Trump has promised impose tariffs not to control the flow of migrants and drugs towards US territory.
Johnson, who worked for more than 20 years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), “will work closely” with the candidate for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio“to promote the security and prosperity of our nation through strong foreign policies that put America first,” Trump said Tuesday in a statement posted on his social networks.
In his announcement, the president-elect recalled the diplomat's performance in El Salvador (2019-2021), “where he worked tirelessly with Salvadoran authorities and our team to reduce violent crime and illegal migration to the lowest levels in history.”
“Congratulations Ron! Together, we will put an end to migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!” Trump insisted.
The president-elect made irregular immigration along the US-Mexico border a key issue during his election campaign, and has reiterated his promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history.
Mexico has played a key role in the implementation of US immigration policy in recent years, accepting migrants from countries with large numbers of immigrants such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
However, official US estimates also suggest that almost half of the immigrants living irregularly in the country are Mexican.
Mexico is preparing for the arrival of large numbers of its citizens deported from the United States once Trump takes office in January. However, he has argued that the deportations are unnecessary, pointing to the contribution of Mexicans to the US economy.
Mexico is seeking an agreement with Trump to ensure it does not receive deportees from third countries in the event of large-scale expulsions of migrants from the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico until they clamp down on drugs and migrants crossing the border. Sheinbaum has said that hopes to avoid a “tariff war”.
Trump announces new FTC chief and ambassadors
President-elect Donald Trump made another series of announcements on Tuesday, announcing that he has chosen Andrew Ferguson to be the next chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Kimberly Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece.
Ferguson, who is already one of five FTC commissioners, will replace Lina Khan. “Andrew has a proven track record of standing up to Big Tech censorship and protecting free speech in our great country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. “Andrew will be the most pro-America and most pro-innovation FTC chairman in our country's history.”
Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to President-elect Donald Trump Jr.'s eldest son in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect that makes her extremely qualified. Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night.
“I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and has always wanted to serve the country as an ambassador,” Don Jr. posted.
Additionally, Tom Barrack was chosen as the candidate for ambassador to Türkiye. Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump's purchase of the famed Plaza Hotel. He was accused of using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all charges in a federal trial in 2022.
Trump called him a “highly respected and experienced voice of reason.”
Ambassador positions must be approved by the United States Senate.
Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump's nomination to serve as the next ambassador to Greece and look forward to earning the support of the United States Senate.”
Trump also announced Tuesday that he had chosen Jacob Helberg as the next assistant secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, and Dan Bishop as deputy budget director at the Office of Budget and Management.
(With information from Reuters and The Associated Press)