By Julia Ornedo, The Daily Beast
Richard Grenell said his term had ended in February this year and claimed his appointment as special envoy was originally intended to end in that period. However, The Daily Beast was unable to find any previous public statements specifying such an end date.
Richard Grenell, who is very active on social media, had never publicly acknowledged the end of his role until now, when he finds himself at the center of a growing scandal over allegations that money disappeared from a donation to the Kennedy Center, which he also chaired during the Trump administration.
A State Department official stated that “Mr. Grenell is no longer a special envoy and is not employed by the State Department.” The agency did not immediately respond to other questions about Grenell’s tenure.
Since ending his status as special envoy, Grenell has repeatedly introduced himself with the title, even using it himself at least once.
A joint Instagram post by Grenell and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), published Oct. 6, prominently identified him with a single title: United States Presidential Special Envoy for Special Missions.
In September, he also posted a photo on Instagram showing a print of a photo of Grenell in a tuxedo signed by Trump. In the description below it, Grenell was identified as a “special envoy”. In his caption, Grenell explained that the photo was taken during the premiere of Melania, the documentary about Melania Trump. The premiere took place in March, that is, after the period when, according to Grenell himself, he no longer exercised the function of special envoy.
Trump had personally selected his loyalist for the job in December 2024, before the start of his second presidential term.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Allen Grenell as our Presidential Envoy for Special Missions,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network, just one month after winning the 2024 election. “Ric will be working in some of the hottest areas of the world, including Venezuela and North Korea.”
“Ric will continue to fight for peace through strength and will always put AMERICA FIRST,” he added. “Congratulations, Ric!”
Grenell officially took office on January 20, 2025.
The Trump administration has claimed that many special envoy appointments are temporary. For example, Kristi Noem served only six months in her role as Special Envoy for America’s Shield after she was fired as Homeland Security secretary.
During Trump’s first term, Grenell served as the US ambassador to Germany, as the special presidential envoy for peace negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, and as acting director of National Intelligence.
He also intended to take the important post of secretary of state in the second Trump administration, but the president ultimately chose Marco Rubio.
