Trump reveals he has an 'envoy ambassador' making foreign visits for him
Ah, yes — just what U.S. foreign policy needs.
Former President Donald Trump revealed in a statement he has his own "envoy ambassador," who on Thursday visited the Kosovo-Serbia border to highlight an agreement brokered during the ex-president's administration.
"The great people of Serbia and Kosovo have overcome tremendous obstacles in their pursuit of economic normalization. The agreements my administration brokered are historic and should not be abandoned, many lives are at stake," Trump wrote Thursday. "Today, my envoy ambassador Ric Grenell visited the Kosovo-Serbia border to highlight this important agreement." Grenell previously served as the special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations during the Trump administration.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As noted by The Wall Street Journal's Vivian Salama, Trump's phrasing regarding Grenell's is rather odd, considering no former president should have an active envoy. In all likelihood, she adds, Grenell's visit was probably more of a "courtesy" than anything of diplomatic substance.
Still, that didn't stop Twitter from highlighting the worrying absurdity (and possible illegality) of the idea of Trump conducting his own foreign policy, nor journalists and pundits from poking fun at the bizarre phrasing the ex-president used when sharing the news (though it was perhaps just a grammatical error).
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Political cartoons for January 4Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a resolution to learn a new language, and new names in Hades and on battleships
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genreThe Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
Political cartoons for January 3Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include citizen journalists, self-reflective AI, and Donald Trump's transparency
-
‘Let 2026 be a year of reckoning’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Jack Smith: Trump ‘caused’ Jan. 6 riotSpeed Read
-
Wave of cancellations prompts Kennedy Center turmoilIN THE SPOTLIGHT Accusations and allegations fly as artists begin backing off their regularly scheduled appearances
-
Trump considers giving Ukraine a security guaranteeTalking Points Zelenskyy says it is a requirement for peace. Will Putin go along?
-
Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Trump’s comments have raised more questions than answers about what his administration is doing in the Southern Hemisphere
-
Vance’s ‘next move will reveal whether the conservative movement can move past Trump’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
What have Trump’s Mar-a-Lago summits achieved?Today’s big question Zelenskyy and Netanyahu meet the president in his Palm Beach ‘Winter White House’
-
Biggest political break-ups and make-ups of 2025The Explainer From Trump and Musk to the UK and the EU, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a round-up of the year’s relationship drama
