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Steve Witkoff
Witkoff in 2025
United States Special Envoy for Peace Missions
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 3, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
United States Special Envoy to the Middle East
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 6, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyMorgan Ortagus
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
BornSteven Charles Witkoff
(1957-03-15) March 15, 1957 (age 68)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse
Lauren Rappoport
​
(m. 1987)​
Children3, including Alex and Zach
EducationHofstra University (BA, JD)

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate developer and investor who has served as the United States special envoy for peace missions since July 2025 and the United States special envoy to the Middle East since May 2025.

Early life and education (1957–1983)

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Steven Charles Witkoff[1] was born on March 15, 1957,[2] in the Bronx in New York City, New York.[3] Witkoff was the son of Martin and Lois Witkoff. Martin was the president of the George Simonton Inc., a woman's clothing manufacturer, while Lois worked as an interior designer.[1] Witkoff is Jewish.[4] He was raised in Baldwin Harbor, New York.[3] According to his sister, Amy, Witkoff was a gambler in his youth and had won enough money to purchase a used sports car when he was seventeen, but had to sell the vehicle the following year to offset gambling losses.[5] He attended Union College and later transfered to Hofstra University, where he pursued a degree in political science. Witkoff graduated from Hofstra's Maurice A. Deane School of Law in 1983.[6]

Career

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Dreier & Traub and Stellar Management (1983–1996)

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After graduating from Hofstra University,[3] Witkoff had began working at the law firm Dreier & Traub as a real estate lawyer.[7] His clients included the real estate developer Donald Trump.[3] That year, Witkoff left the firm alongside Laurence Gluck to establish the Stellar Management Company. Witkoff and Gluck initially focused on purchasing apartment buildings in Washington Heights, Manhattan.[7] In the aftermath of Black Monday in 1987, Witkoff shifted to acquiring buildings from the exodus of wealthy families in the Financial District.[3] That year, he married Lauren Rappoport,[8] with whom he had three children: Alex (born 1991/1992),[9] Zach (born 1992/1993),[10] and Andrew (1988/1989–2011).[11][12] Witkoff's strategy at Stellar Management largely involved converting buildings, as opposed to constructing them, to conserve costs.[13] As the savings and loan crisis continued through the early 1990s, Stellar Management began purchasing mortgages on properties nearing foreclosure; Witkoff told The New York Times that Stellar had "all the problems of the lender" but "without an in-depth examination of the leases, or a detailed physical inspection".[7]

Witkoff Group (1995–2024)

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In 1997, Witkoff left Stellar Management to found the Witkoff Group.[14] The company held assets acquired by Witkoff himself with financing from Credit Suisse First Boston,[15] including 10 Hanover Square, 156 William Street,[15] and 55 Water Street,[15] as he pursued a series of acquisitions beginning that year;[16] according to The New York Observer, Credit Suisse gave Witkoff's properties as much as a ninety-seven percent loan-to-value ratio.[3] The Witkoff Group purchased several buildings, including 33 Maiden Lane,[17] 1 Broadway—joined by its tenant, Kenyon & Kenyon,[18], and 866 Third Avenue in 1996.[19] The following year, the Witkoff Group purchased 100 Wall Street[20] and the Fresh Meadows housing and retail complex[21] with an unsuccessful offer to purchase 405 Lexington Avenue.[22] By June 1998, the Witkoff Group had eleven million square feet of property. That month, Witkoff purchased 233 Broadway.[23] The following month, he acquired eleven office buildings from TIAA-CREF.[16]

By 1998, Witkoff's portfolio had amassed to thirty office buildings with an estimated worth of US$2.5 billion. According to The Wall Street Journal, his strategy concerned some lenders, who compared Witkoff's high debt to highly leveraged real-estate developers—such as Donald Trump, William Zeckendorf Jr., and Paul Reichmann—who had lost properties in the 1990s. The Journal additionally reported that Witkoff had intended to take the Witkoff Group public, in what would have been the largest initial public offering for an office real-estate investment trust, but abandoned his plans after shares in similar firms fell sharply. The Witkoff Group later expanded its operations to Philadelphia, Dallas, Newark, and Chicago.[5] In 2004, Witkoff began working with Giuseppe Cipriani Jr. on a project to convert 55 Wall Street to condominiums and an event venue and an effort to redevelop Pier 57 into an event and catering site,[24] though the latter initiative was delayed and later canceled amid an investigation into the Manhattan Republican Party's chairman, James Ortenzio.[25]

In July 2013, the Witkoff Group reached an agreement with the estate of Leona Helmsley to purchase 36 Central Park South.[26] The investment consortium assembled by Witkoff included the Malaysian businessman Jho Low, whose family and himself provided much of the equity. Low was implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[27]

Witkoff sold his penthouse at 150 Charles Street in 2019[28] and moved into the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach, Florida, the following year.[29]

Political activities (2013–2024)

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Witkoff at the White House Opioid Summit in March 2018

In October 2013, Witkoff held a fundraiser for Bill de Blasio, the New York City public advocate.[30] Beginning in 2015, he has donated to Donald Trump; by December 2024, Witkoff had given nearly US$2 million to Trump's political causes.[31]

In March 2018, Witkoff appeared at the White House Opioid Summit to speak about his son, Andrew, who died of an opioid overdose in 2011.[4] He attended a midterm election event at the White House in November 2018.[32] According to The New York Times, Witkoff unsuccessfully sought a pardon for Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the New York State Assembly who was convicted on federal corruption charges in 2015.[33] In May 2024, he was invited to become an at-large delegate for Florida at the 2024 Republican National Convention.[34] Witkoff spoke at the convention.[35] He was present with Trump at Trump International Golf Club when a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump[36] and spoke at Trump's second rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after another assassination attempt,[37] and a rally at Madison Square Garden.[38]

Throughout Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, Witkoff served as a broker, securing donations from Jewish donors—including Miriam Adelson—and negotiating support. After Trump insulted Georgia governor Brian Kemp at a rally, Witkoff traveled to Atlanta to assuage Kemp.[4] In April 2024, Witkoff arranged a meeting between Donald Trump and DeSantis, the first time that the two had encountered each other since the Republican Party presidential primaries.[39] He, in addition to other Trump allies, encouraged the businessman Elon Musk to develop a closer relationship with Trump.[40] Following his victory in the 2024 presidential election, Trump named Witkoff as the co-chairman of his inaugural committee, alongside Kelly Loeffler.[41]

According to The New York Times, Witkoff suggested to Trump that he establish a cryptocurrency company; his discussions formed the foundation for World Liberty Financial. Witkoff latter claimed that he introduced Trump to Chase Herro and Zachary Folkman.[42] He believed that the project would be suitable for Trump's son, Barron, a freshman at New York University, that would give him business experience without engaging in cryptocurrency fraud.[43]

Special Envoy to the Middle East and for Peace Missions (2025–present)

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Gaza war ceasefire and further negotiations

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See also: January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire

On November 12, 2024, president-elect Donald Trump named Witkoff as his special envoy to the Middle East.[44] According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump and Witkoff shared in the view that the Middle Eastern crisis was a property negotiation.[4] Witkoff met with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha that month to discuss negotiations, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following day.[45]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lauren and Susan Rappoport to Wed". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Steven Charles Witkoff in the Florida, U.S., Voter Registration Records, 1942-2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Leonard 1997.
  4. ^ a b c d Chaffin & Acosta 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kirkpatrick 1998b.
  6. ^ Tognini 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Oser 1996.
  8. ^ "Lauren Rappoport Marries". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Kaiser 2025.
  10. ^ Charter, Al-Atrush & Janjua 2025.
  11. ^ Baum 2013.
  12. ^ "Witkoff, Andrew". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Holusha 1997a.
  14. ^ Lipton 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Oser 1997a.
  16. ^ a b Kirkpatrick 1998a.
  17. ^ Dunlap 1997.
  18. ^ Oser 1997b.
  19. ^ Holusha 1997c.
  20. ^ Holusha 1997b.
  21. ^ Fioravante 1997.
  22. ^ Bagli 1997.
  23. ^ "Woolworth Building Brings $155 Million". Associated Press.
  24. ^ Rozhon 2006.
  25. ^ Hartocollis 2007.
  26. ^ Brown 2013.
  27. ^ Grant & Hope 2017.
  28. ^ Clarke 2019.
  29. ^ Solomon 2021.
  30. ^ Bellafante 2013.
  31. ^ Schleifer 2024.
  32. ^ Haberman & Shear 2018.
  33. ^ Haberman et al. 2021.
  34. ^ Gold 2024.
  35. ^ Corasaniti 2024.
  36. ^ Swan & Haberman 2024.
  37. ^ Gold & Haberman 2024.
  38. ^ Haberman, Swan & Gold 2024.
  39. ^ Haberman & Nehamas 2024.
  40. ^ Schleifer & Mac 2024.
  41. ^ Kanno-Youngs 2024.
  42. ^ Yaffe-Bellany, LaFraniere & Goldstein 2024.
  43. ^ LaFraniere & Yaffe-Bellany 2024.
  44. ^ Bazail-Eimil 2024.
  45. ^ Rasgon, Boxerman & Bergman 2024.

Works cited

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Articles

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Documents

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  • "Steven Charles Witkoff in the Florida, U.S., Voter Registration Records, 1942-2023" (Document). Voter Registration Records.

Further reading

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