Trump Taps Special Envoy To Latin America

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday announced he would name a senior Latin America policy hand who helped craft his first administration’s policy toward Venezuela as special envoy to the region, in yet another signal of the Trump administration’s intent to focus on the Western Hemisphere.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Mauricio Claver-Carone, who served as senior director for the Western Hemisphere and led the Inter-American Development Bank, would be the State Department’s Special Envoy for Latin America and help “restore order” to the region.

“Mauricio knows the region, and how to put America’s interests FIRST,” said Trump. “Mauricio will work tirelessly to protect the American People.“

The appointment is yet another sign of how Trump plans on focusing on shoring up the presence of the U.S. in Latin America. His picks for secretary of State and deputy secretary of State, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau, are seen as experienced foreign policy hands with considerable background in Latin America and the Caribbean. Trump has also named many of his picks for regional ambassadorships, including to countries such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Colombia, as well as regional forums such as the Organization of American States.

Claver-Carone is also the latest special envoy Trump has tapped. In recent weeks, Trump has said he’ll name special envoys for special missions and to the United Kingdom, among other portfolios.

At the White House, Claver-Carone was an architect of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure toward the Venezuelan government during a government succession crisis between President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition-led National Assembly.

He left the White House to lead the Inter-American Development Bank, which seeks to foster economic growth in the region. But he was forced out of the organization amid allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Claver-Carone denied the allegations and accused the Biden administration of trying to smear him.

Beyond his work at the Inter-American Development Bank and National Security Council, Claver-Carone, born to Cuban exile parents in Florida, worked at the Treasury Department and briefly served as acting U.S. executive director of the International Monetary Fund. He was also a lobbyist pushing for a tougher policy toward the Cuban government.

Outside of government, Claver-Carone remained an advocate for growth-focused policy toward the region. Earlier this year, he penned a piece in Americas Quarterly arguing that a second Trump administration would focus on promoting economic prosperity and addressing security challenges such as migration and drug trafficking.

It’s unclear how Claver-Carone will interact with the State Department’s institutional top hand on the region, the assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, who has yet to be announced.

Trump’s post did not explicitly specify whether Claver-Carone will face a Senate confirmation process. But his reference to the fact the position will be housed under the State Department suggests Claver-Carone may need to clear the Senate. He may encounter difficulties surrounding the allegations against him at the Inter-American Development Bank, but is not expected to face major opposition from Republicans over his views or background.