Billionaire hedge fund manager Howard Lutnick has emerged in recent months as one of former President Donald Trump’s biggest supporters and closest advisers. he helped corral support He frequently appeared on cable news to promote the campaign among Wall Street donors and won the leading role As co-chair, he is on the transition team tasked with overseeing staff for a potential second Trump administration.

However, its increased public visibility has also brought some high-profile missteps. The chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services company in New York City, recently faced scrutiny for comments casting doubt on vaccines. Much criticized CNN interview. Meanwhile, his outsize media presence reportedly uncomfortable Some of Trump’s allies, fearful of his open discussions about the transition, acted preemptively before the election ended this week.

Lutnick, 63, kept a lower political profile before the election and contributed to both parties. it exists cited There are several reasons to more actively support his longtime friend Trump, including tariffs on immigration, cryptocurrency, and imported goods; It’s an unusual choice for a Wall Street veteran who describes himself as a fiscal conservative.

But the Jewish Republican also noted that his long-standing commitment to Israel’s security is one of the key reasons why he so enthusiastically sided with Trump, especially after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Attacks that the former president repeatedly claimed would “never happen” If he had won a second term, “they would have happened.”

Lutnick said the decision to become more involved in Trump’s re-election became clear immediately after the attacks. “He had a clear and moral clarity when it came to Israel and what was happening and his way of thinking about what was happening,” Lutnick said. report with Philadelphia Researcher last month. “That was huge for me.”

The Hamas-led massacre appears to have had a profound impact on Lutnick and his wife, Allison. went to israel To meet with victims of attacks in southern Israel last year.

While Lutnick donated to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2016 Senate campaign, he attributed the contribution to his wife, saying she had since “switched on to Donald Trump — which is unusual for her because she says Israel is her number one policy.” he said interview with Bloomberg this summer.

“The former president literally sat down with my wife and said, ‘I’m going to be the best president for Israel, I’m going to protect Israel and I’m going to take care of them,'” Lutnick said. “So even in my house, there’s consensus on Donald Trump. .”

Lutnick’s firm lost 658 employees He linked Israel’s response to the World Trade Center attacks, including his brother Gary, to the broader fight against global terrorism.

The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, established after the September 11 attacks, helped raise money for Israel fighting Hamas in Gaza. “Hamas is terrorism and we are here to help Israel,” the fund said in a statement after October 7, promising to match “every dollar” up to $1 million.

Recently Lutnick announced He said the fund donated $7 million “to support those affected by the war in Israel,” with some of that going directly to United Hatzalah, the Israeli nonprofit emergency medical services organization that he and his wife have long supported.

“Cantor Fitzgerald has proven that it can rebuild from the worst of circumstances,” Lutnick said. I said this last June She served as co-chair with her husband for United Hatzalah’s New York premiere and helped raise more than $20 million. “Israel will be rebuilt and stronger. “After 15 years, Israel will be the shining star of the world,” he said.

Lutnicks also Contributed more than $1 million Birthright to Israel, according to the list of top donors.

At a time when anti-Semitic protests shook college campuses last spring, Israel reportedly It was a major topic of discussion at a Trump fundraiser Lutnick hosted in New York City; where he helped raise $10 million for the former president, who is struggling to match Harris’ formidable war chest.

Lutnick’s spokesman confirmed this Jewish Insider He said Israel was among the top issues driving his active support for Trump, but he declined to respond to multiple interview requests and written questions about his involvement in the campaign.

Sometimes Lutnick participation Jewish causes intersected with his volunteer work for Trump. takes most of his time.

Last month, for example, Lutnick was among a handful of Trump insiders. Accompanied the former president On October 7, he prayed for the release of hostages in Gaza during a visit to the Lubavitcher rebel cemetery in Queens, New York.

Following the visit, Lutnick’s team reached out to Chabad, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. “They seemed to be thinking about his public image,” the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private matter, told JI.

Unlike transition team co-chair Linda McMahon, the GOP donor and businesswoman who runs the policy, Lutnick has adopted an increasingly public profile since being tapped in August to help staff a second term if Trump wins the election.

The financier seems to be enjoying his time in the limelight; high profile speech At Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally in late October. “It wasn’t on my bucket list. People like me don’t get to play Madison Square Garden. This place is amazing!” Addressing the World Trade Center attacks, Lutnick enthused in his speech, declaring, “We must elect Donald Trump because we must crush jihad!”

But Lutnick’s numerous media coverage over the past few weeks has at times raised doubts; especially one period. last CNN interview Here is former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now serves as honorary co-chair of Trump’s transition team. He widely questioned debunked claims about vaccine safety, citing a lengthy conversation with .

Lutnick, who faced widespread backlash for his comments, later It became clear on social media He said that he and his wife “trusted our doctors and followed their advice to vaccinate our children and ourselves.”

Negative news so close to the election was seen as a simple mistake by some Trump advisers. accordingly TrenchMarc Caputo — who quoted several unnamed campaign sources criticizing CNN’s appearance, among other issues.

However, the Trump campaign expressed satisfaction with Lutnick in a statement shared with JI last week. “As the broad coalition of supporters and supporters of President Trump expands, we are proud that business leaders like Howard Lutnick are actively working to elect President Donald J. Trump, whose agenda of cutting costs, securing the border and stopping violent crime resonates with Americans We hear. all backgrounds,” said Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign.

“As Kamala Harris doubles down on her ‘values’ to open our border to immigrant criminals, impose Venezuela-style price controls, and prioritize anti-Semitic mobs over Israel, we look forward to expanding President Trump’s ‘big tent campaign’ with strong voices from the team. As we work to restore American greatness,” Hughes added.

As Lutnick prepared shortlists to help fill thousands of political positions in anticipation of Trump’s return to the White House, he emphasized that he was looking for loyalists who would not interfere with the former president’s “America First” policies. She also steered the campaign away from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s controversial plan for a second term that Harris has frequently cited as a threat to democracy.

Lutnick, who helped rebuild Cantor Fitzgerald after the September 11 attacks. Reportedly seeking special counsel from a number of people in his new position, including Elon Musk, who has called for dramatic government spending cuts; Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management; and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior advisor did not actively participate with the campaign.

Lutnick, for his part, denied rumors He has said he is interested in being appointed ambassador to Israel — even though his support for the Jewish state has, by his own admission, played a major role in motivating his increased involvement in Trump’s reelection effort.

Trump’s team is not focused on appointing an ambassador to Israel as the election approaches, two sources familiar with the matter said. “This is just media talk,” a Trump confidant told JI. “Trump doesn’t think so. It’s all about Pennsylvania and Michigan.”

Still, Lutnick has indicated he is open to a cabinet post. prominent Treasury Department. “If he wants me in the mosaic, he’s going to have to include me,” Lutnick said of Trump. interview with Finance Times last month. “I’m not putting myself in.”