Photo: Getty Images North America
President-elect Donald Trump is giving a Houston billionaire a role for his upcoming term.
Trump has nominated Houston Rockets and Landry’s restaurant group owner Tilman Fertitta as ambassador to Italy. Fertitta hosted a fundraiser for Trump in Houston earlier this year and has donated millions of dollars to Texas politicians, Republican and Democrat.
“Tilman is an accomplished businessman, who has founded and built one of our Country’s premier entertainment and real estate companies, employing approximately 50,000 Americans,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social Saturday. “Tilman has a long history of giving back to the community through numerous philanthropic initiatives, which include children’s charities, Law Enforcement, and the medical community.”
According to Forbes, Fertitta has a net worth of more than $10 billion. If confirmed, he would succeed former Delaware governor Jack Markell as U.S. ambassador to Italy.