The United States Senate has approved Joe Popolo as the new US ambassador to the Netherlands. He will formally take up the post once he has presented his credentials to King Willem-Alexander, which the embassy said is expected to happen later this month.

Popolo was nominated by former president Donald Trump in early January, who described him as “a successful businessman and philanthropist”. 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.

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.

The US embassy in The Hague said on X that it looks forward to welcoming Popolo and his wife, and that he will represent “President Trump and the American people in strengthening our long partnership and alliance with the Netherlands.”

Popolo responded by saying that “Chris and I look forward to working with the best team in Europe in support of @realDonaldTrump and the US’s agenda with our great partners in the Dutch government!”

Popolo succeeds Shefali Razdan Duggal as ambassador.

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.