President-elect Donald Trump has selected Mark Burnett, an outspoken Christian and the former producer of his hit show “The Apprentice” to be special envoy to the United Kingdom. The producer was born in London but emigrated to the United States in 1982. He was also the chairman of MGM from 2018 to 2022. He’s won 13 Emmy Awards and produced the hit shows “Survivor,” “Shark Tank,” “The Voice,” and others.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post last Saturday that “It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.” He continued, “With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.”
The President-elect went on to say “Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges. Congratulations Mark!” Burnett welcomed the selection, he said in a statement: “I am truly honored to serve The United States of America and President Trump as his Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.”
Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey have been open about their Christian faith. She worked as an actress in “Touched by an Angel.” The couple has produced several Christian Films. The 10-hour miniseries “The Bible” on the History Channel, which premiered in 2013 and drew 100 million viewers was produced by Burnett and his wife.
They were also involved with producing the 2015 miniseries “A.D.,” which was based on the book of Acts, and the 2014 film “Son of God.” This film smashed box office expectations by earning $67 million worldwide. The pair is involved in charity work. They launched the Cradle Fund in 2015 to enable people in the Middle East displaced by IS to find a safe place to practice their faith.
Burnett and his wife delivered the keynote address at former President Barack Obama’s final National Prayer Breakfast in 2016. He also introduced Trump next year at his first National Prayer Breakfast. While the producer distanced himself from Trump in the wake of the “Access Hollywood” tape release the pair have made up and are still friends.
In this leaked tape, which came out in 2016, Trump joked about grabbing women by their genitalia. He told the BBC at the time “Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.” He later played a major role in planning Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Burnett has a son from a previous marriage.
Trump has nominated several prominent Christians to his cabinet. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 20 that was nominating Brian Burch, the president and co-founder of CatholicVote, as ambassador to the Holy See. CatholicVote is a strong ally of Trump and helped galvanize Catholic support for the president. They are a lobbying organization and PAC that has devoted significant resources to fighting abortion and LBBTQ+ causes.
Burch accepted the nomination on X. He said he was deeply honored and humbled” to be nominated, expressing gratitude to family and those at his organization. “I am committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good.” Burch is a vocal critic of Pope Francis