Trump Nominates Doug Mastriano as Slovakia Ambassador, Sending 2022 Pennsylvania Loser to Senate Review
Updated
Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 11
Trump Nominates Doug Mastriano as Slovakia Ambassador, Sending 2022 Pennsylvania Loser to Senate Review
10 articles · Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 11
Doug Mastriano, a Pennsylvania state senator and retired Army colonel, was nominated Monday to serve as U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, a post that now requires Senate confirmation.
Trump elevated a close Pennsylvania ally who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, extending his pattern of rewarding loyalists despite Mastriano's lack of direct diplomatic experience.
Mastriano lost the 2022 Pennsylvania governor's race to Josh Shapiro by nearly 15 points, but said he will remain in the state Senate while Washington considers his nomination.
More than 1,000 supporters are still mounting a write-in push for Mastriano in Pennsylvania's May 19 Republican gubernatorial primary, even though Trump has endorsed Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
As military leaders increasingly fill diplomatic roles, what does this shift signal about the future of America's foreign policy?
Can a decorated colonel's security-focused background prove more effective than traditional diplomacy in a strategically vital European nation?