The White House revealed Monday that entrepreneur Nate Morris has been asked to serve as ambassador to Colombia, ending weeks of speculation over a deal that helped narrow the primary field in Kentucky’s Senate race.
Morris bowed out of the race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the request of President Donald Trump, who announced in May that Morris would be tapped for an ambassador post but did not name the country.
“Nate is Oxford educated, tough as nails, LOVES our Great Nation, and will represent the United States very well, overseas, or otherwise,” Trump said on Truth Social at the time.
The president’s announcement was followed by an endorsement of Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), another Republican vying for the seat, and helped end months of bitter GOP infighting.
Morris had been jockeying for the support of Trumpworld and had major donors in his corner, including tech mogul Elon Musk, but he agreed to step aside and quickly endorsed Barr.
Two weeks later, Barr walked away with the GOP nomination, defeating the other major Republican competitor, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, by a 2-to-1 margin.
Morris, the founder of a waste and recycling company, staked out a hard-line position on immigration to differentiate his Senate campaign and, similar to the other candidates, pledged support for Trump and his agenda.
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The ambassadorship was disclosed as part of a list of more than three dozen nominations submitted to the Senate on Monday. Each must be confirmed by the Senate, which has begun to process nominees in large-batch votes.
Morris’s nomination comes hours after no candidate won an outright majority in Colombia’s presidential election, forcing a June runoff featuring a pro-Trump candidate and an ally of the ruling party.