Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the preparations, personnel decisions and policy deliberations of Donald Trump’s transition. POLITICO Pro subscribers receive a version of this newsletter first. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren | Email Lisa | Email Megan DONALD TRUMP has announced two of the highest-profile ambassador jobs — but many of the most significant ones are still to come. While several foreign posts are important in any administration because the country is a close U.S. ally or a neighbor to an adversary, some ambassadorial jobs will take on heightened significance in Trump’s second term because of the incoming president’s existing relationship with — or comments about — the country. Trump has already announced his picks for a handful of high-profile overseas positions. He selected former Sen. DAVID PERDUE (R-Ga.) to take on one of the more consequential postings as ambassador to China. Former Arkansas Gov. MIKE HUCKABEE was tapped as ambassador to Israel. More cushy assignments have gone to investment banker WARREN STEPHENS (United Kingdom) and CHARLES KUSHNER (France), father of Trump’s son-in-law, JARED KUSHNER. “Ambassadors are one of the most important positions,” said former Sen. SCOTT BROWN (R-Mass.), who served as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during Trump’s first term. And as Russia and China look to expand their influence in eastern Europe and across the Pacific, those who land posts in countries like Poland or Japan and South Korea will be “critical in helping represent United States interests in pushing back against [those] countries,” Brown said. “Wherever there’s conflict we need good, capable ambassadors there,” added Brown, who has expressed interest to the president-elect’s team about a second ambassadorship, whether returning to New Zealand and Samoa or posting elsewhere. Ambassador postings in some parts of the world are highly sought after and, traditionally, some mega-donors have asked for the cushiest jobs — and, sometimes, gotten them. There are still about 190 Senate-confirmed ambassador jobs to be filled. West Wing Playbook put together a list of some of the posts that could take on outsized significance in a Trump presidency. Colombia: Trump’s pick for Bogotá will also be charged with handling the relationship with Venezuela. Trump is under pressure, particularly from oil executives, to normalize the relationship — abandoning his first term approach of maximum pressure in an effort to cut migration and reopen more oil operations. South Korea: Trump’s pick for this important U.S. ally could be all the more critical given tensions with North Korea. They’ll also be diving into a political maelstrom in Seoul, as the country reels from President YOON SUK YEOL’s attempt to impose martial law last week. Saudi Arabia: Whoever steps into this role will have to navigate thorny issues, ranging from energy production to relations with Iran and Israel. Trump took some heat during his first term for leaving this posting vacant for nearly two years, eventually announcing a nominee after the brutal killing of JAMAL KHASHOGGI. Arctic Affairs: President JOE BIDEN’s appointee to this newly created post, MICHAEL SFRAGA, was just confirmed in September. Climate change is making the Arctic a more critical region from a security and trade standpoint, especially as Russia and China have increased activity in Arctic waters. Whether Trump decides to keep Sfraga in place, replace him or leave the post vacant will offer an early clue about how he plans to approach the region. Taiwan: This is, of course, not a formal diplomatic partner — but whoever is chosen to lead the American Institute in Taiwan (the country’s defacto U.S. diplomatic outpost and its D.C.-based supervising body of the same name) will be the point of the spear for the U.S.-Taiwan-China relationship at time of rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Mexico: Trump’s relationship with the U.S.’s southern neighbor was filled with strife in his first term over his pledge that Mexico would pay for a border wall, a promise that did not materialize. Now he’s threatening to impose hefty tariffs if the country doesn’t reduce the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into the U.S. India: Whoever Trump picks as his ambassador to New Delhi will play a key role in shaping the future of growing security and economic partnerships between the two countries. South Africa: South Africa, like Kenya, is one of the wealthiest and most influential countries on the continent. And South Africa has extensive partnerships with the U.S. to combat HIV/AIDS, promote investment and work to address regional security challenges. But Pretoria also has close ties to Russia and China as a member of the BRICS alliance and has been an antagonist of Washington’s when it comes to its support for Israel amid the war in the Gaza Strip. Turkey: Though Turkey is a member of the NATO alliance, Ankara under President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN has charted its own foreign policy, maintaining warm ties with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine and emerging as a key player in the Syrian Civil War. That maverick streak has helped the U.S. at times. But at other moments, Ankara has frustrated Washington deeply. Trump’s pick will have to deftly navigate the relationship and ensure that Turkey doesn’t play the spoiler for its interests in Europe and the Middle East. Japan: Perhaps no country developed as warm a relationship with the Trump administration as Japan did the first time around. But as Nippon Steel is making a controversial bid to purchase U.S. Steel, Japan grows as a linchpin of the U.S. strategy to contain China. Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nahal Toosi contributed to this report. MESSAGE US — Are you MARCO RUBIO? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
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