The Senate confirmed former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker as the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
Whitaker’s approval ensures that a loyalist to President Donald Trump will serve as his de facto surrogate to the U.S.-led alliance while relations with its members are at a historic low. Whitaker will likely use his position to increase pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending, something Trump has demanded since his first administration.
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His first major action as ambassador will be to attend a Brussels summit with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“This week, together with @SecRubio, Amb. Whitaker will arrive in Brussels ready to strengthen the Alliance, ensure the security of the American people, and uphold our nation’s role as the beacon of freedom and liberty,” the U.S. ambassador to NATO’s X account posted.
After Trump first announced his nomination on Nov. 22, 2024, Whitaker said he was looking forward to “strengthening relationships with our NATO allies and standing firm in the face of threats to peace and stability.”
The new ambassador soothed Democrats and Republican hawks’ fears of an isolationist foreign policy, telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his March hearing that the United States’s commitment to the alliance “will be ironclad.”
Whitaker said one of his main priorities would be pushing NATO members to boost military spending, a process already underway due to threats from Trump amid the war in Ukraine.
“I have no concern that our European allies and Canada can do more and want to do more,” Whitaker said. “I fully expect they will do what’s necessary to continue to make NATO the strongest alliance ever in the history of the planet.”
TRUMP TAPS MATTHEW WHITAKER AS US AMBASSADOR TO NATO
While his nomination drew skepticism from some due to a lack of foreign policy experience, Trump praised Whitaker as a “strong warrior and loyal patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.”
“Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability — he will put AMERICA FIRST,” he added.