The American businessman of Lebanese origin, Tom Barrack. (Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanese American Thomas Barrack was officially appointed Tuesday by President Donald Trump as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. His name was first put forward on Dec. 10, 2024, on a list of diplomatic appointments released by the White House and sent to the Senate for approval.
The nomination must be reviewed by a Senate committee and then approved by the entire Senate. Democrats have pledged to block President Trump's diplomatic appointments in protest against measures to close the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and integrate it into the State Department.
Adviser and friend of Donald Trump
Born to Lebanese grandparents from Zahle and having grown up in the United States, businessman Thomas Barrack is an investor in the real estate sector. He is a long-time adviser and friend of Donald Trump, describing him as "one of [his] closest friends for 40 years." An Arabic speaker, Thomas Barrack is also the founding chairman of Colony Capital, an international real estate investment fund based in Los Angeles, managing several billion dollars.
In 2021 and 2022, he was the subject of federal investigations for his alleged lobbying activities on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, seeking to influence Donald Trump's foreign policy. He was acquitted in November 2022.
Regarding the war in Gaza, he endorsed a message on his X account from billionaire Bill Ackman, who claimed that this conflict "is largely due to Hamas," which "instead of building the Singapore of the Middle East for 18 years, diverted funds to carry out terrorist activities and war with the aim of eliminating Israel and killing Jews."
Thomas Barrack's nomination follows that of another Lebanese close to Donald Trump, Michel Issa, last Friday as the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon. Trump also placed multimillionaire businessman Lebanese Massaad Boulos in the role of his adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs after his inauguration on Jan. 20.