Trump expresses 'absolute confidence' as Steve Witkoff is sworn in as special Middle East envoy

President Donald Trump’s new special envoy to the Middle East was sworn in by Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday in an Oval Office ceremony.

Steve Witkoff is sworn in as special envoy by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

"As a businessman, he's admired and respected by all, and now Steve is putting his talents to work for America's special envoy to the United States and making a lot of progress. Our country is blessed to have a negotiator of such skill and experience who really selflessly steps up to the plate, puts himself forward all the time," the president said.

Trump did note there was somewhat of a learning curve for Witkoff when it came to foreign government relations but said he has been "figuring it out" at a lightning pace. 

"It takes him about an hour to figure it out," Trump said. "After that, he's brutal. He does a great job." 

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President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn in as a special envoy during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein))

Trump also commented on Iran and its potential development of nuclear weaponry. The president said definitively that "they're not going to have a nuclear weapon."

"This is really crunch time. I would tell you, for Iran and for their country, this is a very important time for Iran. This is the most important time in the history of Iran, for Iran, and I hope they do what's right," Trump told reporters. 

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"I'd love to see a peace deal, a strong peace deal. … We want it to be a successful country," he added. "We don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that. But they can't have a nuclear weapon. And if they choose to go a different route, it's going to be a very sad thing. And it's something we don't want to have to do, but we have no choice." 

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