Trump appoints Mike Huckabee to be US ambassador to Israel

On By Littum

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WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he is nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be his U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“Mike has been a great public servant, governor and leader of faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel and the people of Israel, and in the same way the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring peace to the Middle East!”

Trump has expressed steadfast support for Israel more than a year into its war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. As president, Trump moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and was considered a strong ally of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former Fox News host, served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and in 2016 against Trump. Huckabee currently hosts a show on the religious broadcast network TBN.

Huckabee’s daughter, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first presidency.

Trump has held at least seven other positions since winning the White House.

The Republican president-elect’s hires include his senior 2024 campaign adviser Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff; Elise Stefanik nominated to be US ambassador to the UN; long-time immigration consultant Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy; Tom Homan chose to oversee deportation policy and aviation security; former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin nominated head of the Environmental Protection Agency; and Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser.

This is developing news.

Reach Joey Garrison at X, formerly of Twitter, @joeygarrison.