“It is a great honor for me to announce that John Arrigo will be the next United States Ambassador to Portugal,” said Trump on his social network Truth Social.

“John is a highly successful entrepreneur in the automotive industry and a champion golfer,” the former president stated. “For over thirty years, he has been an incredible leader in business in West Palm Beach and is respected by all.”

Trump expressed his confidence in Arrigo’s capabilities: “I have known John for a long time. He will do an incredible job for our country and always put America FIRST.”

Arrigo has been a close associate of the tycoon since at least 2006, the American news portal BuzzFeed News said in 2018.

According to Arrigo's profile on the social network LinkedIn, the businessman was for more than 35 years vice president of the Arrigo Automotive Group, which operates in West Palm Beach, where Trump's residence, Mar-a-Lago, is located.

In 2019, Arrigo told The Palm Beach Post that he ran five car dealerships in South Florida along with his brother, Jim Arrigo, with about 600 employees.