Trump fills out more of his Latin American diplomatic team

President-elect Donald Trump announced a trio of picks Wednesday for Latin America ambassadorships, elevating major donors to critical diplomatic postings in the Western Hemisphere.

In a series of late-night Truth Social posts, Trump said he would tap former Conair executive Leandro Rizzuto Jr. as ambassador to the Organization of American States. He also said he would appoint philanthropist and urgent care network executive Peter Lamelas as ambassador to Argentina and personal injury lawyer and former law enforcement officer Dan Newlin to the role of ambassador to Colombia.

Only Rizzuto has diplomatic experience — he served as consul to Bermuda. Lamelas and Newlin will be thrust immediately into complicated diplomatic discussions without that kind of background.

Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, has abandoned some key collaboration with the U.S. on combating the flow of narcotics, and both countries have been working to address the ongoing political crisis in neighboring Venezuela.

Lamelas, meanwhile, will have to navigate U.S. policy toward Argentina, a country that has experienced intense economic volatility in recent years. The right-wing populist president, Javier Milei, is actively seeking to court U.S. investment to improve his country’s fortunes.

Both Colombia and Argentina are also regional players, whose relations with the U.S. will be watched closely by other countries in the region.

Lamelas, Rizzuto and Newlin are longtime donors to Trump. Rizzuto donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump and boosted conspiracy theories about Trump’s 2016 primary opponents. Newlin spent considerable sums in 2024 on ads and billboards supporting Trump.

Their selections fit into a broader pattern of Trump favoring people with business and law enforcement experience, as well as close allies, for diplomatic postings. Trump’s pick for ambassador to Chile, Brandon Judd, was the former head of the union that represents Border Patrol officers. His picks for ambassadorships in the United Kingdom, France and Turkey all boasted extensive business records and donation records to Trump.

All three positions will require Senate confirmation. Rizzuto could face some opposition. Trump appointed him in 2018 to be ambassador to Barbados, but his nomination stalled in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His tenure in Bermuda was also controversial and met with protests in the British island territory.