Donald Trump has nominated businessman Joe Popolo to be the next US ambassador to the Netherlands, replacing Shefali Razdan Duggal who has done the job since 2022.

Popolo, 57, lives in Texas and is currently head of Charles and Potomac Capital, an investment company he founded and which focuses on technology, healthcare, media, energy, and real estate businesses around the globe.

He previously ran entertainment group Freeman Company and is also on the board of a number of different organisations.

According to American media, Popolo made an $800,000 donation to Trump’s election campaign last year, and gave $500,000 to a fund supporting Republicans.

Trump announced the appointment on his own social media channel on Thursday as one of a string of new nominations.

“Joe is a successful businessman and philanthropist across many different sectors. For over 20 years, he helped transform the Freeman Company into the World’s leading live event brand experience company,” Trump wrote.

Trump will be inaugurated for his second term as president on January 20 and Popolo’s nomination will have to be approved by the senate.

Since 2005, no US ambassador to the Netherlands has completed a four-year term in office.

Trump’s previous nominee, Pete Hoekstra, got off to a tricky beginning in 2018 after he was shown to have said that there are no-go zones in the Netherlands and that politicians were being set on fire. He first denied the comments as fake news and later admitted he was wrong.