Donald Trump Nominates Wesley Hunt as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump nominated Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas to serve as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday, September 15, 2026. The nomination fills a diplomatic post that has remained vacant since Michael Ratney left office in January 2025.

Hunt is a former Army officer and two-term member of the House of Representatives who previously spent two years as a diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia. The nomination was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of a larger group of 40 appointments, which included nominees for Navy secretary and the Food and Drug Administration.

The appointment occurs during a period of regional instability marked by Houthi rebel attacks in Yemen that threaten oil exports. The Trump administration has conditioned a pending 30-year nuclear cooperation agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia on the kingdom normalizing ties with Israel. Hunt has previously supported the expansion of the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia and has maintained a hard line toward Iran.

Hunt accepted the nomination, stating he intends to advance the president's vision of "peace through strength" and deepen the partnership between the two nations.