Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Thursday took aim at President Trump's decision to put his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff in charge of the ongoing Iran negotiations, arguing the two lack the diplomatic chops to handle such a delicate and high-stakes process.
Speaking on the network's program “The Five,” Kilmeade said that both men—despite their business backgrounds—have failed to produce results in other key foreign policy arenas. “I also don’t think that Witkoff and Kushner should be the ones doing this. They’re business guys,” he said. “They have not been effective in Ukraine, not been effective in Gaza, they have not been effective in this.”
Kilmeade’s critique echoes earlier skepticism from both sides of the aisle about the administration’s reliance on unconfirmed, non-traditional envoys for major international negotiations. He specifically pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a more suitable lead for the Iran talks, which have been complicated by decades of mutual distrust between Washington and Tehran.
“He should take the lead on this because you can’t do this like a business deal,” Kilmeade said. “You have to understand the history of the region and how distrustful the Iranians have been. They will only make a decision if they have no other choice.”
This is not the first time Kilmeade has questioned Witkoff’s judgment. In December, he criticized the special envoy for reportedly advising a senior Russian official to flatter Trump during negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. “I’m so glad Jared Kushner’s going with Steve Witkoff because I just think he likes Russia too much. All indications are that he sees more Russia’s point of view,” Kilmeade said at the time.
Democratic Representative Adam Smith of Washington agreed with Kilmeade’s latest assessment, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the Iran talks demand “very talented negotiators.” Smith added that the Trump administration hasn’t invested enough in diplomacy, despite warnings from experts. “I don’t think the Trump administration has done the work on diplomacy any more than they did the work to know that this war wasn’t going to lead to the result that they wanted,” he said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina also expressed reservations earlier this year, telling ABC News that while Kushner and Witkoff are “very accomplished businesspeople” and likely good negotiators, they are not subject to Senate confirmation or oversight, raising accountability concerns.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. The criticism comes amid broader scrutiny of the administration’s Iran strategy, including a former Trump aide dismissing the talks as futile after the president's recent harsh rhetoric toward Tehran. Meanwhile, intelligence reports have revealed an ongoing assassination plot against Trump by Iran, further complicating any potential diplomatic breakthrough.
With the administration relying on unconfirmed envoys for one of the most complex geopolitical challenges in decades, the debate over who should be leading the charge is unlikely to fade.
