Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that the President-elect is naming New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Trump referred to Johnson as “ambassador” during a speech at a luncheon in Washington, according to a report from Reuters.

Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson IV, 69, has long been active in fundraising for Republican candidates, and was the National Finance Chairman for Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign before ultimately endorsing Trump last May. Johnson, who purchased the Jets in 2000, is expected to turn over control of the team to his younger brother, Christopher Wold Johnson. </s> New York Jets owner Woody Johnson isn’t the only sports heavyweight in Washington D.C. this week for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Johnson, 69, has been nominated to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Trump announced Thursday at a luncheon held to honor his closest supporters. The Jets owner is also expected to be in attendance on Friday when Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Johnson was among the first sports figures to support Trump, endorsing his campaign last May after previously serving as Jeb Bush’s finance chair.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has expressed admiration for Trump on multiple occasions, was also in D.C. this week, joining other dignitaries at the Chairman’s Global Dinner on Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported. Representatives from the New England Patriots did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOXBusiness.com.

Other representatives from the football world included NFL Hall of Fame inductee Jim Brown, who drew criticism last month for meeting with the president-elect at Trump Tower.

Brown held a press conference on Thursday on behalf of the National Diversity Coalition For Trump and the Amer-I-Can Program, an outreach initiative seeking to work with Trump to address socioeconomic issues in inner cities. Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin and legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight also attended the event.

Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic gold medalist, will attend Trump’s inauguration on Friday. Her representatives confirmed that she will appear at the behest of the American Unity Fund, a conservative organization dedicated to LGBTQ rights, People reported. The American Unity Fund did not immediately respond to a request for comment. </s> The NFL’s presence overseas just took a strange and interesting turn.

President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that New York Jets owners Woody Johnson would be named to the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. Trump revealed his newest appointment at a luncheon in Washington D.C. the day prior to being sworn in as the 45th U.S. president.

Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson IV purchased the Jets 17 years ago on Wednesday. He is a longtime Republican donor who served Jeb Bush’s campaign before shifting his support to Trump once Bush dropped from the race. Johnson also served as vice chairman of Trump campaign’s victory committee and hosted several fundraisers for him.

The ambassador position is considered a plum job, and Trump said Thursday that Johnson would be “going to St. James” — a reference to the Court of St James.

Johnson reportedly plans to shift ownership of the team to his younger brother, Christopher Wold Johnson, in a move that might elicit cheers from Jets fans — no matter their political leanings — who have been dismayed with the direction of the team the past several seasons. We have no idea how Woody Johnson will fare as ambassador, but it might serve Trump well if Johnson fares better than he has as an NFL team owner.

Johnson is likely to be a big figure as the NFL increases its reach overseas, specifically into England, where four London games are on the schedule for the 2017 season. Could the NFL one day land a franchise in England? If so, Johnson would figure to be involved in the process, if that occurs, over the next four years and perhaps beyond.

It also wouldn’t be the least bit shocking to see the Jets featured in more London games going forward. To date, the Jets have appeared in one game in the NFL’s International Series — 2014 against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium — but could end up being fixtures there, much like the Jacksonville Jaguars have become, as more games are likely to be added.

Although the appointment might seem odd to some, it’s very common for high-profile donors to earn posts with Western allies such as the U.K. Johnson will be replacing Matthew Barzun, who served as President Barack Obama’s national finance chairman in 2012.

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! </s> Trump nominates Kelly Craft to be U.S. ambassador to U.N.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was nominating Kelly Craft, currently ambassador to Canada, to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. </s> WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to nominate Admiral Harry Harris, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command who has been nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to Australia, to fill the long-vacant post of ambassador to South Korea instead, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Another source with knowledge of the situation said President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, had asked Harris to take the post in Seoul, which has been vacant since Trump took office in January last year.

Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate comment from the White House. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and John Walcott Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> The Latest: Trump lashes out again at UK ambassador

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the dispute between the Trump administration and the British ambassador (all times local):

U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out for a second day at Britain's ambassador to the United States, describing him as "wacky" and a "pompous fool," after a leak of emails critical of the American administration.

The series of tweets came hours after Prime Minister Theresa May stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Darroch's forthright views have created awkwardness between two countries who often celebrate having a "special relationship."

Trump tweeted Tuesday: "The wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy."

Trump also criticized May for failing to get her deal on leaving the European Union through Parliament.

Prime Minister Theresa May's office has reiterated her full support for Britain's ambassador to the United States after President Donald Trump cut off contact with him following the leak of diplomatic cables that branded the U.S. administration as "inept."

May has stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Darroch's forthright views have created awkwardness between two countries that are longtime allies.

British officials said they were hunting for the culprit behind the leak.

May's Downing Street office says that while the leak is unfortunate, "Kim Darroch continues to have the prime minister's full support."

In a series of tweets, Trump also attacked May, accusing her of "making a mess" of Britain's departure from the European Union. </s> Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump said Friday he intends to nominate the current American ambassador to Canada to be the new US ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump tweeted on Friday evening that he plans to nominate Kelly Knight Craft for the position, following former Ambassador Nikki Haley's resignation last year.

"I am pleased to announce that Kelly Knight Craft, our current Ambassador to Canada, is being nominated to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump wrote on Twitter

He followed up in a second tweet , saying, "Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level. Congratulations to Kelly and her entire family!"

Trump's announcement comes a week after his first pick to replace Haley, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew her candidacy

Haley on Friday tweeted congratulations to Craft, writing: "Congratulations to Kelly Craft. She's done a great job representing us as @USAmbCanada and we know she'll be a strong voice for America at the United Nations. #USstrong."

CNN reported earlier this week that Craft was being considered, along with US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, US Ambassador to France Jamie McCourt and former National Security Council official Dina Powell.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement on Friday applauding Trump's announcement, saying he is "very pleased" and that Craft "has been an outstanding advocate for America's national security and economic interests in Canada and she is extremely well-qualified to do the same at the United Nations."

"I look forward to her confirmation and continuing to work with her at the United Nations," Pompeo said in the statement.

The Kentucky native and her husband, billionaire coal mining executive Joe Craft, have been heavyweight Republican funders. In the 2016 presidential race, they initially backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be the Republican nominee for president before switching their allegiance to Trump.

The next year, Trump nominated Craft to be ambassador to Canada, a position she officially assumed in October 2017.

Shortly after arriving in Ottawa, Craft earned some ridicule for telling the CBC she understood "both sides" of the debate on climate change. Both, she said, "have their own results, from their studies, and I appreciate and I respect both sides of the science."

Craft is likely to encounter some wariness. Trump and his senior staff have made their dislike for the United Nations clear, earning the distrust of many at the institution and at times, their mockery. The President has referred to the world body as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time" and repeatedly attacked the institution's core principle of multilateralism.

When he addressed the UN General Assembly in 2018, Trump claimed his administration had achieved "more than almost any administration in the history of the country" -- and was met with open laughter.

National security adviser John Bolton, a former ambassador to the UN under President George W. Bush, was openly hostile toward the UN during his 2005 to 2006 tenure. The Trump administration has cut US contributions to the UN, pulled out of several of UN organizations and opposed core UN-backed initiatives in recent years, including the Paris Agreement on climate and the Iran nuclear deal.

Trump had wanted a woman to lead the US delegation at the United Nations, sources have told CNN. His original pick, Nauert, bowed out after it came to light that she had employed a nanny who was legally present in the US, but wasn't legally permitted to work.

The post, which had been a Cabinet level position under Haley, is widely expected to be downgraded.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told aides he wanted the post downgraded after Haley leaves, an official familiar with his remark has told CNN. And Bolton has also been said to want the role downgraded, according to people familiar with his thinking.

The shift means Craft would wield less clout than her predecessor, both at the UN and within the administration, and as a result, would pose nowhere near the challenge to Bolton or Pompeo.

This story has been updated. </s> US president told Theresa May he did not want trip to go ahead if there were large-scale public protests • Support our journalism by becoming a Guardian supporter or making a contribution

This article is more than 2 years old

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Donald Trump has told Theresa May in a phone call he does not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supports him coming.

The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests and his remarks in effect put the visit on hold for some time.

The Guardian view on Trump’s state visit to the UK: his invitation should be rescinded | Editorial Read more

The call was made in recent weeks, according to a Downing Street adviser who was in the room. The statement surprised May, according to those present.

The conversation in part explains why there has been little public discussion about a visit.

May invited Trump to Britain seven days after his inauguration when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House. She told a joint press conference she had extended an invitation from the Queen to Trump and his wife Melania to make a state visit later in the year and was “delighted that the president has accepted that invitation”.

Many senior diplomats, including Lord Ricketts, the former national security adviser, said the invitation was premature, but impossible to rescind once made.

Trump has named Woody Johnson, a Republican donor and owner of the New York Jets, as the new ambassador to the UK but has yet to nominate him formally. A large number of US ambassadorial positions remain unfilled worldwide largely due to the Trump team failing to make any formal nominations.

The acting US ambassador to the UK, Lewis Lukens, a career diplomat, clashed with Trump last week by praising Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, for his strong leadership over the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack.

So Trump’s too scared to come to the UK. Who says protest doesn’t work? | Hugh Muir Read more

His remarks came just days after Trump criticised Khan for his response to the attack, misquoting the mayor’s message to Londoners not to be alarmed by the increased presence of armed police.

Khan’s office pointed out Trump’s error later but the president responded by accusing London’s mayor of making a “pathetic excuse”. Khan then called on the UK government to cancel Trump’s invitation. No date had been fixed for the visit.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Twitter that Trump’s decision was “welcome, especially after his attack on London’s mayor & withdrawal from #ParisClimateDeal.”

A Downing Street spokeswoman said it would not comment. “We aren’t going to comment on speculation about the contents of private phone conversations. The Queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans.”

The White House said in statement: “The President has tremendous respect for Prime Minister May. That subject never came up on the call.”

Jenna Johnson, a Washington Post reporter tweeted to say that the White House press secretary had told her the Guardian’s report was “false” but added that the White House “won’t say when Trump plans to go to the UK”.

Later, The New York Times, citing two unnamed administration officials, reported that Trump was considering scrapping or postponing the trip. The officials stressed that he might yet “warm to the idea” but that keeping it off the schedule was the best approach.

Contact the Guardian securely Read more

The UK’s traditional effort to act as a bridge between the US and Europe has become more complex since the vote last year to leave the European Union and Trump’s support for policies that have angered European allies.



The Foreign Office was disappointed when against its pleading Trump went ahead earlier this month with his plan to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. The UK had lobbied hard for Trump not to take the decision, which has led to a wider break between the EU and the US.

Trump had been an advocate of Brexit, and at one point seemed to want the EU to break up, but confidence has since returned to the bloc with pro-European Emmanuel Macron’s victory over far-right Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election.

Additional reporting by Ben Jacobs. </s> WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday evening that he will nominate Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to Canada and a major Republican donor, to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Craft is set to succeed Nikki Haley, pending Senate confirmation, and is Trump’s second pick to replace Haley, who left the U.N. post at the end of last year. The president’s earlier candidate, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew from consideration last week before being formally nominated.

Trump praised Craft’s tenure representing his administration in Ottawa as “outstanding” as he made the announcement on Twitter.

“I am pleased to announce that Kelly Knight Craft, our current Ambassador to Canada, is being nominated to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump wrote. “Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level. Congratulations to Kelly and her entire family!”

Trump had announced Nauert as his pick last December, but she was never formally nominated. She withdrew from consideration citing family concerns. People familiar with the situation said Nauert had employed a nanny who was not authorized to work in the United States.

Trump considered a number of candidates this week for the prestigious ambassadorship, which is based in New York, including Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.

If confirmed, Craft is unlikely to hold the same Cabinet-level rank that Haley had made a condition of taking the job. Without that rank, the next U.N. ambassador is not likely to attend as many White House meetings as Haley did, and may be less influential.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who said he recommended Craft, a fellow Kentuckian, was quick to celebrate her selection and called it “an exceptional choice for this critical post.”

“Kelly Craft is a strong advocate for American interests and will be a powerful representative of our great nation at the U.N.,” McConnell said in a statement. “She has a long record of service to her state and the nation and I’m confident she will continue to serve with distinction as America’s voice to the world at the United Nations.”

Craft, 56, was a business executive and philanthropist before serving as ambassador to Canada. Her husband, Joe Craft, is president and CEO of coal producer Alliance Resource Partners.

The couple are major Republican donors, having given about $1.5 million to GOP candidates in 2016, including $270,800 to Trump’s committee or his joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee.

The Crafts also have been repeat, high-paying customers at Trump’s D.C. hotel, according to a list of “VIP Arrivals” distributed to hotel staff June 19, 2018. That list, obtained by The Washington Post, was intended to help staff identify the hotel’s most important customers as they checked in.

The Crafts were listed as gold-level members of the Trump Card rewards program, checking in for a three-day stay. They were also described as “high-rate” customers, and their listing bore the notation R(20), which former Trump hotels employees have said indicates customers who’ve stayed at least 20 times. That was an unusually high number, among the hundreds of Trump hotel guests whose VIP listings have been reviewed by The Post.

Kelly Craft was sworn in as ambassador to Canada in September 2017. The job representing the United States in Ottawa is a diplomatic plum, but not as sought-after a posting as those in European capitals.

The White House search for a replacement for Haley focused on female candidates, and those who had already been confirmed by the Senate for a current or past posting, people familiar with the selection process said. Craft also possesses a current security clearance, another plus, those people said.

Craft, who is hardly a household name, would lower the public profile of the U.N. job after Haley, whose prominence as a former South Carolina governor and national GOP star helped project Trump foreign policy priorities but whose independence sometimes rankled other aides.

Craft made headlines shortly after assuming her post in Canada, when she told Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News that she believes “both sides” of the climate change debate.

“I believe there are sciences on both sides that are accurate,” Craft told the Canadian broadcaster. “Both sides have their own results from their studies, and I appreciate and respect both sides of the science.”

Climate change is a major issue at the United Nations, which sponsored the 2015 Paris climate accords that President Trump has disavowed.

In the interview, Craft said the United States can still work to counter climate change despite pulling out of the international compact.

“We all have the same goal, and that is to better our environment and to maintain the environment,” she said.
U.S. President Donald Trump nominates New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.