The elected American president, Donald Trump, nominated former diplomat and congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the United States ambassador to Canada. The announcement came via a post by Trump on his social media platform “Truth Social” on Wednesday, where he noted that Hoekstra “is highly respected in the great state of Michigan - the state we won by a large margin,” referring to Trump's victory in this state during the previous presidential election.

In his post, Trump described the “NAFTA” agreement (North American Free Trade Agreement) as “the worst trade deal in U.S. history,” stating that he proudly fixed it by signing the “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement” (USMCA), which he considered an important step in improving trade relations with its northern and southern neighbors. Trump added that his administration during his first term succeeded in “making trade with Mexico and Canada a level playing field for our farmers and our great working families.”

For his part, Hoekstra thanked the elected president in a post on “X,” stating: “I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve.” Hoekstra previously served as the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands from 2018 to 2021 and represented Michigan in Congress for the second district from 1993 to 2011. He is one of the names nominated in a series of cabinet and diplomatic appointments announced by Trump as part of his upcoming transition government.

This move is part of a series of appointments that Trump's team is witnessing, which seeks to strengthen bilateral relations with Canada, a strategic trading partner for the United States.