Trump names ‘Apprentice’ producer Mark Burnett as special envoy to the UK

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday tapped Mark Burnett, the producer of “The Apprentice,” to serve as the special envoy to the United Kingdom.

Burnett formerly served as chair of MGM’s television studio and is a multi-Emmy-winning producer of several popular U.S. television shows, including “Survivor,” “Shark Tank” and “The Voice.” With “The Apprentice,” Burnett was the architect of Trump’s post-bankruptcy image — and is largely responsible for Trump’s rise in the national imagination as a high-powered Manhattan businessman.

“With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump said Saturday in a post on Truth Social.

Burnett, who was born in the U.K., “will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges,” Trump said. He has never held a diplomatic post.

It is unclear how Burnett’s responsibilities would differ from those of Trump’s pick to be ambassador to the court of St. James, banker and donor Warren Stephens, who would be the main U.S. diplomat based in London representing Washington in front of the U.K. government. Typically, the position is a sleepy one, as most contact between both countries’ governments occurs at the direct official level. The U.K. and U.S. also directly and fully collaborate on all matters of espionage and intelligence collection.

But the allusion to trade and investment suggests a possibility that Burnett could be tasked with promoting bilateral commercial ties between the U.S. and the U.K., which has long been a goal for Westminster since the U.K. left the European Union in 2020.

Successive British governments have pushed for a free trade agreement between the United States and United Kingdom to make up for the economic losses experienced after the U.K. left the European Union’s common market. Yet both the Trump and Biden administrations have slow-walked any discussion of a trade deal.

Most recently, President Joe Biden quashed hopes that his administration would broker a trade deal with the U.K. before the election, disappointing the government of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after encountering resistance from some Senate Democrats.

Trump advisers, however, telegraphed in 2024 that a trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. would be a key priority for the administration.

Trump’s post did not specify whether Burnett would face a Senate confirmation process. Special envoys, by law, must receive Senate confirmation, but the Biden administration has, at times, gotten around that by tweaking job descriptions. Burnett, however, would likely face little resistance from Senate Republicans as he is not seen as a polarizing figure.