Compared to other real estate, oil and tech billionaires who surround Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff is described as a modest man. According to the Palm Beach Post, he is worth around $500 million deriving from his 51 properties in London, Miami and New York.
Contrary to most of those billionaires, Witkoff has also been Trump's real friend for the past 40 years. Trump trusts him completely and has now appointed him to be his special Mideast envoy.
Like Trump Witkoff is a New Yorker who made his fortune there, brought his children into the business and then began spending half his time in South Florida. He is an avid golfer and has played with the president-elect during the second assassination attempt on Trump's life last September.
The two men met in 1986 when Witkoff, then a young real estate lawyer, worked for Traub & Dreyer, a city firm that had Trump as a client. They bumped into each other at a local delly and later worked together on a deal.
"Trump did not have cash so I treated him to a pork sandwich, Witkoff once said. According to his son, Alex, Trump was "one of the greatest inspirations," that motivated his father to move from law to real estate.
Their relationship grew closer over the years, through tragedies as well. Witkoff said Trump stood by him when his youngest son Andrew, died of an opioid overdose in 2011. "His presence brought real solace in a dark hour," he said during his speech to the Republican National Conference this summer, calling him the kindest and most compassionate man.
Witkoff also played the part of peacemaker and ironing out personal disputes between Trump and political adversaries such as Ron DeSantis or Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, resulting in both eventually endorsing Trump for president.
The 67-year-old Bronx native grew up in Long Island and is the son of a coat maker who made his fortune in New York real estate in the 1980s.
He married Lauren Rappoport and the couple had three boys Zak, Alex and Andrew, who died of an overdose.
In recent years his company enjoyed the property boom in Florida including the Shell Bay club which is described as like Trump's Mar-a-Lago but much nicer. The company earned a reputation for succeeding in property deals where others have failed. One such deal is the high-end South Beach club in Miami where a penthouse was recently sold for $120 million.
His success may be why Trump picked him to step into the role previously occupied by his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump views the Middle East conflict not as a centuries-old religious war but as a complex real estate deal that must be worked out.
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Witkoff who is Jewish, and an avid supporter of Israel agrees. Since the massacre of Oct. 7 last year, he has been Trump's unofficial envoy to the American Jewish business community and said he himself received and helped ensure considerable donations to the campaign.
Although he has no diplomatic experience, his friends point to the business contacts he has built in the region, including in Israel. Last year Witkoff sold the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan to the Qatari government's investment fund for $623 million. The Abu Dhabi fund was also involved in the deal.
Trump says will end wars in acceptance speech
(Video: FOX News)
His colleagues in the real estate world describe him as smart, accessible and a talented negotiator whose style is not to make the other side an adversary, another close ally of Trump said in an interview. He said he was not looking to see blood on the floor before a deal is agreed.
Whether that would suffice when negotiating an end to the conflict in our region, remains to be seen but one thing is certain, Witkoff will have direct access to Trump's ear.