Steve Witkoff

Steven Witkoff
Witkoff in 2018
United States Special Envoy for Middle East
Designate
Assuming office
January 20, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Steven Charles Witkoff

(1957-03-15) March 15, 1957 (age 67)
New York City, U.S.
SpouseLauren Rappoport (m. 1987)
Children3
Education
OccupationReal estate investor and developer

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American attorney, real estate investor and developer, philanthropist, and founder of the Witkoff Group.[1][2] He practiced as a real estate attorney for the first few years of his career, then pivoted to become a real estate investor and developer. Among other buildings, he has purchased or co-purchased 33 Maiden Lane, the Daily News Building, the Woolworth Building, and the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan.

During the first presidency of Donald Trump in 2020, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were created to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In 2024, he was appointed as Special Envoy to the Middle East by President-elect Donald Trump.

Early life

Witkoff is Jewish, was born in the Bronx in New York City, and was raised in Baldwin Harbor, New York and Old Westbury, New York on Long Island.[3][4][5] He is the son of Martin and Lois Witkoff.[6] His father was a manufacturer of ladies' coats in New York City.[1][6]

He earned a B.A. in 1980 from Hofstra University. Witkoff then graduated with a J.D. in 1983 from Hofstra Law School.[7]

Career

Witkoff began his career as a real estate lawyer, and became a billionaire real estate investor and developer.[8][9] In November 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that: "Peers in the real-estate world invariably describe Witkoff ... as smart, personable and a talented negotiator with a common touch."[10]

1983–2019

After graduating from law school in 1983, Witkoff worked for the New York City real estate law firm Dreyer & Traub, where one of his clients was Donald Trump.[3] They became friends at a New York City deli, after they had worked together on a business deal.[2]

Witkoff subsequently practiced real estate law at the New York City law firm Rosenman & Colin, through 1986.[11][12]

In 1985, he co-founded Stellar Management (the name Stellar is derived from Steve and Larry), partnering with fellow Dreyer & Traub real estate attorney Laurence Gluck, and switching their careers from the practice of law to owning and operating real estate.[13][12][3][14] They purchased inexpensive apartment buildings in Washington Heights, Manhattan and the Northwest Bronx; at one point they owned 85 buildings with over 3,000 apartments.[15][13][12][3][14] He accumulated a small portfolio of buildings and in 1995, he expanded into lower Manhattan, buying several inexpensive office buildings.[3] In 1996, he secured financing from Credit Suisse First Boston for the purchase of 33 Maiden Lane, a 27-story tower designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee; the following year, he leased the top 13 floors of the building to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for a 25-year term.[16][3] A close relationship with Credit Suisse First Boston soon developed, and Witkoff purchased additional properties—typically using very little of his own money—including the landmark Daily News Building in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, designed by architects Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells.[3]

In 1997, Witkoff left Stellar Management, founded and became chairman and CEO of the privately held Witkoff Group headquartered in New York City, and expanded into residential construction and rehab.[17][12][3] In 1998, he and business partner Rubin Schron purchased the Woolworth Building in Tribeca for $138 million,[1] and he expanded his portfolio to include real estate purchases in Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia.[3] By October 1998, the Witkoff Group operated 11 million square feet of commercial and retail real estate, and held an ownership interest in 7,500 apartments and a number of land and hotel development transactions.[18] In 1998, a planned $2 billion IPO of his company was canceled due to the collapse of the real estate market, and Witkoff and Gluck dissolved their partnership, with Gluck taking the residential properties and Witkoff the office buildings.[3]

In 2013, Witkoff and Harry Macklowe purchased the Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South in Manhattan for $660 million.[19] That year, Witkoff and Fisher Brothers also purchased a parcel of land in Tribeca in Manhattan for $223 million on which they built a 792-foot high residential tower, 111 Murray Street.[20]

As of 2014, he owned 30 properties in the United States and in London.[21] As of 2019, the Witkoff Group owned almost 50 properties in the United States and internationally.[22]

2020–present

The Witkoff Group purchased the project to build the resort and casino Fontainebleau Las Vegas for $600 million.[23][24] The property was scheduled to open in 2020 as The Drew, named after Witkoff’s late son Andrew.[23] However, construction stopped in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada.[23] In February 2021, Koch Real Estate Investments purchased the property.[23] The original name was reinstated, and the hotel opened in December 2023, having been developed at a cost of $3.7 billion, making it the second-most-expensive resort in Las Vegas.[25]

In April 2020 during the first presidency of Donald Trump, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group, which was created by Trump to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[26][27][28]

In July 2024, Witkoff gave a speech on night four of the Republican National Convention.[29]

On September 15, 2024, Witkoff was playing golf with Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly attempted to assassinate Trump. A Secret Service officer fired at the gunman, who fled in a vehicle and was later apprehended.[30]

On November 9, 2024, Witkoff was chosen to be co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee for Trump's upcoming second presidency, along with former US Senator Kelly Loeffler.[31]

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had selected Witkoff to be his Special Envoy to the Middle East.[32][33]

Personal life

Witkoff has lived on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.[1] In 1987, he married Lauren Jill Rappoport, who was then an associate at the Manhattan law firm of Botein, Hays & Sklar.[6] In 2019, Witkoff relocated from New York City to Florida, and settled in Miami Beach.[34]

They have had three sons.[1] In 2011, their 22-year-old son Andrew died of an OxyContin overdose at the now-closed Sunset Plaza Drive sober living facility in California.[35] Their son Zach is a co-founder of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company.[2][36] Their son Alexander is co-CEO of the Witkoff Group.[37]

Witkoff has served on the Executive Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York, as a Trustee for the Intrepid Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University (since 2015).[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Piore, Adam (December 1, 2012). "The modest mogul - Investor Ruby Schron could quietly become the city's next billionaire landlord, despite eschewing glamour and a place in the spotlight". The Real Deal.
  2. ^ a b c Jacob Kornbluh (December 15, 2024). "Newborn grandson of Trump’s Mideast envoy named after Trump," The Forward.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Leonard, Devin (December 6, 1999). "Steve Witkoff's Nine Lives: Tough Guys Don't Fold-They Crawl Back From the Abyss". The New York Observer.
  4. ^ "Steve Witkoff," LegiStorm.com.
  5. ^ Elkies, Lauren. "Steve Witkoff". The Real Deal. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c "Lauren and Susan Rappoport to Wed". The New York Times. January 4, 1987.
  7. ^ "Steven Witkoff, BA, ’80; JD, ’83," Hofstra.edu.
  8. ^ Theodore Schleifer (December 3, 2024). "Trump Donors Who Give at Least $1 Million or Raise $2 Million Get Inaugural Access," The New York Times.
  9. ^ June Kim, Karen Yourish, and Jasmine C. Lee (December 26, 2024). "Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations," The New York Times.
  10. ^ Joshua Chaffin and Deborah Acosta (November 17, 2024). "How a Real Estate Mogul Became Trump’s Middle East Point Man," The Wall Street Journal.
  11. ^ Phil Hall (November 12, 2024). "Trump Names Real Estate Developer Steve Witkoff as Special Middle East Envoy," WRE News.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Ashner/Witkoff Stockholder Group Comments On New York REIT's Termination Of JBG Combination," WW Investors LLC, August 3, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Alan S. Oser (September 15, 1996). "New Hands Take Reins at Big Manhattan Properties," The New York Times.
  14. ^ a b Ghigliotty, Damian (May 1, 2013). "With 150 Charles Street and Now 10 Madison Square West, Steve Witkoff May Be the King of Condo Financing". Commercial Observer. Observer Media.
  15. ^ Betsy Kim (February 7, 2019). "Steve Witkoff: NY, If You Can “Make It” Here…," Globest.com.
  16. ^ David W. Dunlap (August 27, 1997). "Reserve Bank to Make Building Fit Its Name," The New York Times.
  17. ^ Eddie Small (November 17, 2024). "Stellar Management founder Larry Gluck dead at 71," Crain's New York.
  18. ^ Mary McAleer Vizard (October 18, 1998). "In the Region / Westchester; Office Vacancy Rate Is Continuing to Inch Up," The New York Times.
  19. ^ Matt A.V. Chaban (April 6, 2015). "A Dental Hub With Central Park Views May Go on the Market," The New York Times.
  20. ^ Michelle Higgins (June 19, 2015). "TriBeCa Tower Inspired by a Glass Vase," The New York Times.
  21. ^ "An Opportunistic Company," Leaders Magazine, October 4, 2014.
  22. ^ "A Purposeful Life," Leaders Magazine, October 4, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d Michael Bartlett (February 12, 2021). "Las Vegas Strip resort formerly known as Fontainebleau may finally see completion," Gaming America.
  24. ^ Devin O'Connor (December 23, 2022). "Fontainebleau Las Vegas Secures $2.2B in Financing to Complete Long-Delayed Casino," Casino.org.
  25. ^ "Rooms & Suites". Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  26. ^ Tanzeel Akhtar (April 15, 2020). "Every Member Of Trump's 'Great American Economic Revival' Industry Groups," Yahoo.
  27. ^ Karen Yourish, Lazaro Gamio, and Ashley Wu (December 3, 2024). "Project 2025, Mar-a-Lago and Fox News: What Connects Trump’s New Staff Picks," The New York Times.
  28. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 – via National Archives.
  29. ^ Hensley, J. J. (July 18, 2024). "Real estate baron Steven Witkoff uses RNC speech to humanize Trump, recall son who OD'd". USA Today. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  30. ^ "Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says". apnews.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2024.
  31. ^ Zolan Kanno-Youngs (November 11, 2024). "The Trump Insiders Who Have Outsize Influence as He Chooses His Cabinet," The New York Times.
  32. ^ "Trump appoints Steven Witkoff as Special Envoy to the Middle East". Israel National News. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  33. ^ Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, and Jill Colvin (November 12, 2024). "Trump picks ex-DNI John Ratfcliffe to lead CIA, ex-Arkansas Gov. Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel". Prince George Citizen. Retrieved November 12, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ Rebecca San Juan (January 15, 2020). "The New York-based real estate development firm Witkoff is expanding to Miami," Miami Herald.
  35. ^ Baum, Gary (August 17, 2013). "Wrongful Death Lawsuit Hits L.A. Rehab Center Following THR Investigation". The Hollywood Reporter.
  36. ^ Eric Lipton, Ben Protess, and David Yaffe-Bellany (December 5, 2024). "Trump Organization Plans an Ethics Policy Without Banning Foreign Deals," The New York Times.
  37. ^ John Otis (February 16, 2024). "A Cowboy and a Leopard Walked Into a Bar," The New York Times.

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