The White House shared that President Donald Trump was nominating Pennsylvania state Senator and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, and Kari Lake as U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica.
In a press release from the White House on Monday, it was revealed several nominations were being sent to the Senate. Among the nominations, included one for Mastriano “to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Slovak Republic.”
Lake was also revealed to be nominated “to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Jamaica.”
Mastriano expressed in a post on X, that he was “deeply honored and humbled” by Trump’s nomination. He added that upon receiving confirmation by the Senate, he would “look forward to representing our nation abroad” and strengthening the friendship between the U.S. and the Slovak Republic.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by President Trump’s nomination to serve as United States Ambassador to the Slovak Republic,” Mastriano said. “Upon Senate confirmation, I look forward to representing our nation abroad, strengthening the friendship between our two countries, and advancing the interests of the American people.
“In the meantime, I remain fully committed to serving the people of Pennsylvania’s 33rd Senatorial District and will continue fulfilling my responsibilities while the Senate considers my nomination,” Mastriano continued.
Mastriano previously ran for governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 gubernatorial election against now-Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). Shapiro received 3,026,961 votes, or 56.5 percent of the vote, while Mastriano received 2,235,660 votes, or 41.7 percent of the vote, Politico reported.
Mastriano, who served as an officer in the U.S. Army, will face “a confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” ABC27 News reported. The nomination of Mastriano to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia comes after Gautam A. Rana, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, resigned from the position in January.
In a post on X, Lake — who Trump previously selected to serve as the director of the U.S. government’s Voice of America, thanked Trump and stated that Jamaica was a country she knows “very well.” Lake added that she looked “forward to strengthening the partnership between” the two nations.
“Thank you to President Trump for nominating me to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica,” Lake wrote. “Jamaica is a country I know very well, full of incredible people, and if confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our nations, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building on the deep friendship shared by the American and Jamaican people.”
Lake previously ran against now-Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego (D) in 2024. Gallego received 1,676,335 votes, or 50.1 percent of the vote, while Lake received 1,595,761 votes, or 47.7 percent of the vote, Politico reported.
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