Trump Unveils Tech Appointments and Nominates Additional Ambassadors
Trump revealed his appointees for Special Envoy to Latin America and ambassador to Denmark amidst discussions about the U.S. asserting its claim over Greenland and regaining control of the Panama Canal. On December 22, President-elect Donald Trump announced a series of roles and nominations, including individuals who will collaborate with White House artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto czar David Sacks, along with various significant ambassadorships.
Michael Kratsios was appointed as the assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Lynne Parker will serve as the counselor to the director of the OSTP and executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST), which Sacks is set to chair. Bo Hines has been named the executive director of the new Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets (the “Crypto Council”), while Sriram Krishnan will take on the role of senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence at the OSTP.
Trump outlined the purpose of each position and group in his announcement on Truth Social. He stated that PCAST is to bring together “America’s most distinguished minds in science and technology” to provide guidance to the Trump administration “on critical issues like Artificial Intelligence.” For the OSTP, he noted Sriram’s collaboration with Sacks and PCAST will focus on “ensuring continued American leadership in A.I. and help shape and coordinate A.I. policy across Government.” Meanwhile, the Crypto Council will serve as “a new advisory group comprised of luminaries from the Crypto industry.”
According to Trump, Sacks will also chair this council, with Hines collaborating to “foster innovation and growth in the digital assets space, while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed.” He affirmed, “Together, they will create an environment where this industry can flourish and remain a cornerstone of our Nation’s technological advancement.”
Kratsios and Parker are returning from Trump’s first term, where Kratsios served as the chief technology officer of the United States and under-secretary of defense for research and engineering, earning the Defense Department’s Distinguished Public Service Medal. Parker previously held the position of deputy chief technology officer and was the founding director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.
Hines and Sriram are newcomers. Trump highlighted Hines’ academic achievements, noting his graduation from Yale University and Wake Forest University Law School. He also mentioned that Sriram has worked at Microsoft and was a founding member of Windows Azure. “Together, we will unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure America’s technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation,” Trump stated.
The president-elect also nominated Judge Stephen Vaden for the role of deputy secretary of the Department of Agriculture. “In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform,” Trump said on Truth Social. Vaden was confirmed by the Senate in 2020 as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade.
Scott Kupor, former chairman of the National Venture Capital Association and current managing partner of Andreessen Horowitz, was selected as the director of the Office of Personnel Management. Katie Miller, who served as press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence and deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s first term, will be joining the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. She is also married to Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller.
More Ambassador Nominations
Trump announced his selection of Mauricio Claver-Carone, his former senior director of Western Hemisphere affairs, to serve as the State Department’s special envoy for Latin America, coinciding with comments suggesting the U.S. should reclaim the Panama Canal. “Over the last four years, chaos and anarchy have engulfed our Borders,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “It is time to restore order in our own hemisphere. Mauricio knows the region and how to put America’s interests FIRST.”
The president-elect nominated Ken Howery, a co-founder of PayPal, as the new ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, reiterating his previous position that Greenland—which is currently a Danish territory—should be U.S. owned. Trump remarked, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States.” Howery previously held the position of Trump’s ambassador to Sweden.
Additionally, Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), was nominated to be the new ambassador to Switzerland. “Callista previously served, with distinction, as my Ambassador to the Holy See,” Trump highlighted in his Truth Social announcement. “During her tenure, Callista worked to advance and defend international religious freedom, combat human trafficking, and provide humanitarian assistance around the World.”
These ambassador nominations will require Senate approval.
