Profiles in Power: Who Is Steve Witkoff, the Man Negotiating Wars He Can't Name the History Of?

He bought Donald Trump a sandwich in 1986. That's the origin story.

Witkoff was a young real estate attorney in Manhattan when he met Trump through the industry. One day Trump had no cash on him and Witkoff paid for his lunch.

A friendship developed over the next several years. Four decades later, that sandwich bought Witkoff the job of U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Ukraine, and Iran, all at once.

No diplomatic background. No foreign policy experience. No government service. Just a very long friendship with the right person.

Welcome to how power actually works.

The dealmaker's resume

Steve Witkoff was born in the Bronx in 1957, studied political science and law at Hofstra University, and spent his early career as a real estate attorney before founding the Witkoff Group in 1997. He made a fortune buying, repositioning, and developing properties across New York and Miami.

The Woolworth Building, the Park Lane Hotel, luxury towers in Manhattan. Forbes estimated his net worth at $2 billion as of 2025.

He was also, along the way, a substantial donor to Trump's campaigns and a regular at Mar-a-Lago.

The two men have golfed together for years. Witkoff was present at Trump's Florida golf course during an assassination attempt last September. Their relationship is personal.

That's the qualification that landed him in rooms negotiating with Netanyahu, Putin, and Iranian foreign ministers.

The conflict beneath the conflict

Here's where it gets interesting.

A New York Times investigation found that while Witkoff was conducting ceasefire negotiations in the Middle East, his son Alex was simultaneously soliciting billions of dollars from some of the same governments whose representatives were involved in those peace talks.

The Witkoff Group, now run by his son after Witkoff claimed to be stepping back, has ongoing financial relationships with Gulf Arab sovereign wealth funds. The same governments Witkoff was sitting across from at the negotiating table.

Witkoff said he would put his interests in a blind trust while serving as envoy. But reporting indicates he had not fully divested from the company. Is that compromised? You tell me.

A man negotiating peace terms with Qatar has a longstanding business relationship with Qatar. His son is pitching those same Qatari investors while dad's in the room. That's not a red flag, that's a red banner.

America First or just first to the deal?

Witkoff is Jewish, with close ties to Israel and longstanding business relationships throughout the Arab world. He attended Netanyahu's 2024 address to Congress and praised the speech. He has described himself as having a deep connection to the October 7 attacks.

On Ukraine, he's been notably sympathetic to Russia. He has suggested Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "not necessarily" started by Russia, that NATO provoked it, and that most eastern Ukrainians want to live under Russian rule.

On Iran, he's negotiating nuclear terms while simultaneously being accused of misrepresenting exchanges during those talks. Diplomats with knowledge of the Iran negotiations said Witkoff undermined talks by mischaracterizing a key exchange.

The man is running three of the US's most sensitive relationships. Simultaneously. Without having held a government post before this one. lol

The Gaza resort pitch

If you want to understand how Witkoff sees the world, there's one moment that says everything.

When asked about Trump's plan to displace Palestinians and develop Gaza into a luxury destination, Witkoff defended it as realistic. He told Fox News that for Palestinians, "a better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space you are in."

A man who built luxury towers in Manhattan just told displaced people that losing their homeland is fine because you can build a nice life anywhere.

That's not diplomacy. That's a real estate pitch.

Stay Frustrated.