James Holtsnider
James Holtsnider is an American politician, officer and diplomat who served as the Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. He currently serves as the List of [ambassadors of the United States to Jordan|Ambassador to Jordan] under the Second Trump Administration since December 2025. Previously, he served as the List of ambassadors of [the United States to Samoa|Chargé d'affaires to Samoa] from 2024 to 2025.
In addition, he previously served as an Operations Officer in the Department's Operations Center and as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Kuwait City.
Education and career
Holtsnider earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Masters degree from Princeton University. He served as an operations officer in the Department's operations center. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Kuwait City. He also served as the Ambassador to Samoa under the Biden Administration from May 2024 to January 2025.Holtsnider was nominated by U.S President Donald Trump as the Ambassador to Jordan. In October 2025, he went to Jordan to meet Secretary General of Jordan's Foreign Ministry Daifallah Alfayez. There, they discussed strengthening bilateral relations between the U.S and Jordan. He presented his credentials to King Abdullah II of Jordan on December 7, 2025.