Steve Witkoff

Last updated

Lauren Rappoport
​
(m. 1987)​
Steven Witkoff
Steve Witkoff in 2025 (54334316072).jpg
Witkoff in 2025
United States Special Envoy
to the Middle East
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2025
Children3
Education Hofstra University (BA, JD)
OccupationReal estate investor and developer

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor, former lawyer, and diplomat [1] [2] [3] who serves as the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. He is the founder and chairman of the Witkoff Group. He began his career as a real estate attorney, before transitioning to property investment and development. His notable acquisitions include the Daily News Building, the Woolworth Building, 33 Maiden Lane, and the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan.

Contents

During the first presidency of Donald Trump in 2020, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were created to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In November 2024, then President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would appoint Witkoff to be the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff had no diplomatic experience. After his nomination but before formally taking office, Witkoff took part in the negotiations which led to a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. [4] In addition to his Middle East portfolio, he also became Trump's personal de facto envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin. [5]

Early life

Witkoff, who is Jewish, was born in the Bronx in New York City, and was raised in Baldwin Harbor, New York and Old Westbury, New York on Long Island. [6] [7] [8] [9] He is the son of Martin and Lois Witkoff. [10] His father was a manufacturer of ladies' coats in New York City. [11] [10] His paternal grandfather and grandmother were both born in the Russian Empire. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

In 1980 he earned a B.A. from Hofstra University. In 1983 he graduated with a J.D. from Hofstra Law School. [17]

Private sector career

Witkoff began his career as a real estate lawyer, and became a billionaire real estate investor and developer. [18] [19] In November 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that: "Peers in the real-estate world invariably describe Witkoff ... as smart, personable and a talented negotiator with a common touch." [20]

After graduating from law school in 1983, Witkoff worked for the New York City real estate law firm Dreyer & Traub, where one of his clients was Donald Trump. [6] They became friends at a New York City deli, after they had worked together on a business deal. [21]

Witkoff subsequently practiced real estate law at the New York City law firm Rosenman & Colin, through 1986. [22] [23]

In 1985, he co-founded Stellar Management, partnering with fellow Dreyer & Traub real estate attorney Larry Gluck — "Stellar" is a reference to Steve and Larry — switching their careers from the practice of law to owning and managing real estate. [24] [23] [6] [25] They purchased inexpensive apartment buildings in Washington Heights, Manhattan and the Northwest Bronx; at one point they owned 85 buildings with over 3,000 apartments. [26] [24] [23] [6] [25] He accumulated a small portfolio of buildings and in 1995, he expanded into lower Manhattan, buying several inexpensive office buildings. [6] In 1996, he secured financing from Credit Suisse First Boston for the purchase of 33 Maiden Lane, a 27-story tower designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee; the following year, he leased the top 13 floors of the building to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for a 25-year term. [27] [6] A close relationship with Credit Suisse First Boston soon developed, and Witkoff purchased additional properties—typically using very little of his own money—including the landmark Daily News Building in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, designed by architects Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells. [6]

In 1997, Witkoff left Stellar Management, founded and became chairman and CEO of the privately held Witkoff Group headquartered in New York City, and expanded into residential construction and rehab. [28] [23] [6] In 1998, he and business partner Rubin Schron purchased the Woolworth Building in Tribeca for $138 million, [11] and he expanded his portfolio to include real estate purchases in Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia. [6] By October 1998, the Witkoff Group operated 11 million square feet of commercial and retail real estate, and held an ownership interest in 7,500 apartments and a number of land and hotel development transactions. [29] In 1998, a planned $2 billion IPO of his company was canceled due to the collapse of the real estate market, and Witkoff and Gluck dissolved their partnership, with Gluck taking the residential properties and Witkoff the office buildings. [6]

In 2013, Witkoff and Harry Macklowe purchased the Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South in Manhattan for $660 million. [30] That year, Witkoff and Fisher Brothers also purchased a parcel of land in Tribeca in Manhattan for $223 million on which they built a 792-foot high residential tower, 111 Murray Street. [31]

Witkoff with US President Donald Trump, March 1, 2018 President Donald Trump welcomes his friend Steve Witkoff to speak at the Opioid Summit in the East Room of the White House.jpg
Witkoff with US President Donald Trump, March 1, 2018

As of 2014, he owned 30 properties in the United States and in London. [32] As of 2019, the Witkoff Group owned almost 50 properties in the United States and internationally. [33]

The Witkoff Group purchased the project to build the resort and casino Fontainebleau Las Vegas for $600 million. [34] [35] The property was scheduled to open in 2020 as The Drew, named after Witkoff's late son Andrew. [34] However, construction stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada. [34] In February 2021, Koch Real Estate Investments purchased the property. [34] The original name was reinstated, and the hotel opened in December 2023, having been developed at a cost of $3.7 billion, making it the second-most-expensive resort in Las Vegas. [36]

Witkoff has extensive business ties in the Middle East. [37] [38]

Political career

In April 2020 during the first presidency of Donald Trump, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group, which was created by Trump to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. [39] [40] [41]

In July 2024, Witkoff gave a speech on night four of the Republican National Convention. [42]

On September 15, 2024, Witkoff was playing golf with Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly attempted to assassinate Trump. A Secret Service officer fired at the gunman, who fled in a vehicle and was later apprehended. [43]

On November 9, 2024, Witkoff was chosen to be co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee for Trump's upcoming second presidency, along with former US Senator Kelly Loeffler. [44]

US Special Envoy to the Middle East

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had selected Witkoff, to be his Special Envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff had no diplomatic experience. [5] [45] [46] [47]

Witkoff played a key role in negotiating a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in January 2025, along with Brett McGurk, President Biden's lead negotiator who invited Witkoff to join the negotiations, and Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who it was agreed would be the one who would speak to Hamas. [4] [48] [49] His blunt, direct and aggressive negotiation style was instrumental in forging a six-week ceasefire agreement, during which there would be a swap of 33 Hamas-held hostages taken in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel for approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom were serving life sentences for murder, and steps toward further exchanges and ending a prolonged 15-month war. [4] [49]

Witkoff's approach differed from traditional diplomatic methods, as he, joined by McGurk on speakerphone from Qatar, applied pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalize the deal, stressing that Trump wanted the deal done, achieving in the final weeks what had been in negotiation for nearly a year. [50] [51] The New York Times wrote: "It was a vivid example of cooperation between two men representing bitter political rivals. Rarely if ever have teams of current and new presidents of different parties worked together at such a high-stakes moment, with the fate of American lives and the future of a devastating war hanging in the balance." [4]

On January 29, 2025, Witkoff arrived in Israel and made a rare entry by an American official into Gaza to personally oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. [52]

On March 2, 2025, the Israeli government stopped the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip. The office of prime minister Netanyahu claimed they were acting upon a proposal Witkoff had originally presented. The new plan does not mention an Israeli retreat from positions in Gaza after half of the hostages have been released in phase one of the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. The existence of a "Witkoff-plan" had not been confirmed by Washington as of March 3, 2025. [53]

Instead of continuing to the second phase of the ceasefire per the original agreement, Israel proposed a new plan (called the "Witkoff plan" after Steve Witkoff), in which Hamas would release the Israeli captives in exchange for a 50-day extension of the ceasefire, with Israel retaining the option of returning to war. Hamas rejected this new proposal, which differed from the terms agreed in January 2025. [54] [55]

On March 23, 2025, Witkoff blamed Hamas for renewed fighting in Gaza, [56] saying that "Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal that would have given us a 40- or 50-day ceasefire where we could have discussed demilitarization and a final truce." [57]

Involvement in negotiations with Russia

Witkoff with U.S., Saudi, and Russian officials meeting in Riyadh, February 18, 2025 Secretary Rubio Holds a Meeting with Saudi Arabia and Russia (54335450953).jpg
Witkoff with U.S., Saudi, and Russian officials meeting in Riyadh, February 18, 2025

President Trump has made Witkoff his de facto envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin. [5] By March 2025, Witkoff had become the main channel of communication between the Trump administration and the Russian presidency. [58]

On February 11, 2025, Trump sent Witkoff to Moscow, where he met with President Putin and was responsible for the negotiations that led to a prisoner swap and the release of U.S. citizen Marc Fogel from a Russian prison, in exchange for Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik. Witkoff said that Putin and Trump "had a great friendship, and I think now it's going to continue, and it's a really good thing for the world". [59] [60]

Witkoff said he "spent a lot of time with Putin" during the secret trip and had developed a "friendship and relationship" with Putin. [61]

Witkoff has been involved in talks between the United States and Russia to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On February 16, Witkoff rejected concerns that Ukraine and Europe would be excluded from any future peace negotiations in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [62] On February 18, American and Russian delegations, headed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to develop a framework for further peace negotiations. Rubio was accompanied by Steve Witkoff and U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. [63]

On March 21, 2025, in a podcast interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said that the biggest issue in negotiations are the "so-called four regions: Donbas, Crimea, Lugansk...and there's two others". [64] Russia occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014, then occupied and annexed four more Ukrainian provinces during its 2022 invasion. [64] He said that the populations in those provinces were Russian-speaking and "there were referendums where the vast majority of people indicated that they wanted to be under Russian rule". [64] The polls had been held by Russia in the midst of its invasion and were condemned as a "sham" by the U.S., Ukraine and most of the international community. [64]

In the interview, Witkoff spoke positively of Vladimir Putin. He called Putin a "great guy" and "super smart". Witkoff said "I liked him, I think he was honest" and "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy". [64] [65] [66] According to Witkoff, Putin told him that he prayed for "his friend" Donald Trump following the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. He recalled that "President Putin had commissioned a beautiful portrait of President Trump, from the leading Russian artist, and actually gave it to me and asked me to take it home to President Trump". [67]

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Ukrainians were "very disturbed" by Witkoff's comments and believed he had been influenced by Russian disinformation. [68] U.S. Democratic Representative Seth Moulton called Witkoff's comments "insane" and accused him of "negotiating for the other side" and "taking the side of our enemy". [69]

Views

Egypt

Witkoff, Rubio and Waltz with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Secretary Rubio Holds a Meeting with Saudi Arabia and Russia (54335639890).jpg
Witkoff, Rubio and Waltz with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In March 2025, Witkoff expressed concern that Israel's war in Gaza could destabilize Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He stated that the youth unemployment rate in Egypt is 45% and that the country is bankrupt, [70] saying that "country can't exist like that. They're largely broke. They need a lot of help." [71]

Syria

In March 2025, Witkoff suggested that Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa may have changed since his association with Al-Qaeda. [70]

Israel and Palestine

In 2024, Witkoff, who is Jewish, criticized the Biden administration over its decision to halt the shipment of certain bombs to Israel. [72] However, he also stated that Hamas members are "not as ideologically extreme as they are portrayed" and praised Qatar for its efforts in trying to negotiate an end to the Gaza conflict. [70]

In March 2025, Witkoff said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by renewing attacks on Gaza, was prioritizing the destruction of Hamas over the release of Israeli hostages. [70]

Russia and Ukraine

In 2018, Witkoff, whose paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia, opposed sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. [5]

Witkoff has praised Russian president Putin and has appeared to support Russian government claims about its war against Ukraine. [64] [66] He said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "not necessarily" started by Russia, that NATO had a significant role in provoking the conflict, and that most Eastern Ukrainians want to live under Russian rule. [73]

Witkoff said he is 100% sure that Putin is not going to invade Europe and is not interested in the rest of Ukraine outside of the annexed southeastern Ukraine. [74]

Iran's nuclear program

Witkoff said President Trump is seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program. [70]

Personal life

Witkoff has lived on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. [11] In 1987, he married Lauren Jill Rappoport, who was then an associate at the Manhattan law firm of Botein, Hays & Sklar. [10] In 2019, Witkoff relocated from New York City to Florida, and settled in Miami Beach. [75]

They have had three sons. [11] In 2011, their 22-year-old son Andrew died of an OxyContin overdose at the now-closed Sunset Plaza Drive sober living facility in California. [76] Their son Zach is a co-founder of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company. [21] [77] Their son Alexander is co-CEO of the Witkoff Group. [78]

Witkoff has been on the executive committee for the Real Estate Board of New York, and is a trustee for the Intrepid Foundation, and on the board of trustees of Hofstra University (since 2015). [23]

References

  1. ↑ "Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff draws on personal tragedy to push for the release of Israeli hostages". Forward. February 17, 2025. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025. The real estate magnate-turned-diplomat reflects on his son's death as he sets to travel to the region to oversee implementation of Gaza ceasefire
  2. ↑ Bazail-Eimil, Eric (November 12, 2024). "Trump appoints real estate investor, golf partner as Middle East peace envoy". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2025. Witkoff was not the only Middle East diplomat whose role Trump announced on Tuesday. Trump also announced that he was appointing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
  3. ↑ van Koningsveld, Akiva (January 27, 2025). "Hostage deal moved Trump to tears, says new US Middle East envoy Witkoff". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025. The real estate mogul turned diplomat also revealed that the release of the first seven Israeli hostages since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19 brought Trump to tears.
  4. 1 2 3 4 David E. Sanger and Michael D. Shear (January 15, 2025). "How the Cease-Fire Push Brought Together Biden and Trump's Teams," Archived January 21, 2025, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Crowley, Michael (March 13, 2025). "Trump Turns to an Untested Emissary, Steven Witkoff, to Engage Putin". Archived from the original on March 13, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025– via NYTimes.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Leonard, Devin (December 6, 1999). "Steve Witkoff's Nine Lives: Tough Guys Don't Fold-They Crawl Back From the Abyss". The New York Observer . Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  7. ↑ Elkies, Lauren. "Steve Witkoff". The Real Deal . Archived from the original on July 28, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ Kassel, Matthew (November 21, 2024). "Real estate mogul Witkoff is Trump's unorthodox choice to serve as his Middle East envoy". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  9. ↑ Markoe, Lauren (November 13, 2024). "Steve Witkoff, Trump's golf buddy, appointed special envoy to the Middle East". The Forward. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
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  21. 1 2 Jacob Kornbluh (December 15, 2024). "Newborn grandson of Trump's Mideast envoy named after Trump," Archived January 12, 2025, at the Wayback Machine The Forward.
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  48. ↑ Patrick Kingsley (January 15, 2025). "Gaza Cease-Fire Deal Brings Joy, but Is Shadowed With Uncertainty," Archived January 21, 2025, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times.
  49. 1 2 Patrick Kingsley, Adam Rasgon, and Michael D. Shear (January 17, 2025). "The Sheikh, the Mogul and the Diplomat: The Trio Who Sealed the Gaza Truce; The Qatari prime minister, working with both President Biden's envoy and President-elect Donald J. Trump's representative, formed an unlikely partnership," Archived January 22, 2025, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times.
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  55. ↑ "Israel resumes strikes in Gaza after 2-month ceasefire, reportedly killing hundreds and promising increased force against Hamas". CBS News. March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  56. ↑ "'This is on Hamas,' US special envoy Witkoff says of new Gaza fighting". Reuters. March 24, 2025.
  57. ↑ "Witkoff says Hamas may have 'duped' him into thinking it was interested in deal". The Times of Israel. March 23, 2025.
  58. ↑ "Steve Witkoff has gone from spotting Trump cash at a deli to helping him navigate Ukraine and Gaza". AP News. March 13, 2025.
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  60. ↑ Drennon, Brandon; FitzGerald, James (February 17, 2025). "Trump dispatches NY real estate dealmaker to solve global crises". BBC . Archived from the original on February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  61. ↑ Stone, Mark (February 21, 2025). "Trump envoy Steve Witkoff says he has developed a 'friendship' with Putin". Sky News . Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  62. ↑ "Ukraine, Europe will be part of 'real' peace talks, says Rubio, as US weighs Putin's motives". Reuters. February 17, 2025.
  63. ↑ "Russia and US agree to work toward ending Ukraine war in a remarkable diplomatic shift". AP News. February 18, 2025. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  64. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Steve Witkoff Says Putin Not a 'Bad Guy', Stumbles on Ukraine Geography". Newsweek . March 23, 2025.
  65. ↑ "'He's Not a Bad Person' – Steve Witkoff's Fulsome Assessment of Meeting Putin". Kyiv Post. March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  66. 1 2 "Trump's foreign envoy touts Kremlin talking points, in interview that will alarm Europe". CNN . March 24, 2025.
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  68. ↑ "Witkoff comments 'very disturbing' to Ukraine, Zelensky says". Kyiv Independent . March 27, 2025.
  69. ↑ "Trump envoy blasted over 'insane' Putin comments in Tucker Carlson interview". USA Today . March 24, 2025.
  70. 1 2 3 4 5 Magid, Jacob. "Witkoff: Hamas isn't ideologically intractable, Gaza conflict can end through dialogue". www.timesofisrael.com.
  71. ↑ "Video: Egypt slams US special envoy over calling the country 'largely broke'". Egypt Independent. March 24, 2025.
  72. ↑ "Trump's Middle East Picks Signal Staunch Pro-Israel Policy". The New York Times . November 13, 2024.
  73. ↑ "Steve Witkoff on Russia and Ukraine | Russia Matters". www.russiamatters.org.
  74. ↑ "Trump envoy Witkoff sparks outcry after backing Kremlin talking points on Ukraine". ABC News. March 25, 2025.
  75. ↑ Rebecca San Juan (January 15, 2020). "The New York-based real estate development firm Witkoff is expanding to Miami," Miami Herald.
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