WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intent to appoint his former producer from “The Apprentice” to serve as special envoy to the United Kingdom.
Mark Burnett has received three-dozen Emmy nominations, winning the award for about a third of those, according to the Television Academy’s website. Trump has previously praised Burnett during campaign trail appearances.
With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump said in his post to Truth Social.
“Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges,” the president-elect added.
Besides “The Apprentice,” Burnett has worked as a top producer on “Shark Tank,” “The Voice” and “Survivor.” Trump also cited Burnett’s previous experience at MGM.
Several of those shows, including “The Apprentice,” aired on NBC. NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC and NBC News.
Trump became a reality-TV star during his time hosting “The Apprentice” from 2004 to 2015, and Burnett launched the show with Trump.
The show helped boost the now president-elect’s fame in the run-up to his first bid for the White House.
Burnett is the latest in a string of selections with personal ties to the president-elect. Trump previously announced he was picking his two daughters’ fathers-in-law, Charles Kushner and Massad Boulos, to serve as ambassador to France and senior adviser on Arab and Middle East issues, respectively.
Trump has also tapped several others with TV ties — frequently those who have appeared on Fox News — for prominent positions, including former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, though controversies threaten to derail his confirmation.
Special envoys often focus on a particular issue. Trump previously announced that he had selected Warren Stephens as the ambassador to the Court of St. James, “a role in which he will act as our Representative to the United Kingdom” if confirmed by the Senate, the president-elect said in a post to Truth Social earlier this month.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
