Jason D. Greenblatt

For two decades, Jason Greenblatt worked two doors down from Donald Trump — separated from his boss by only a supply closet and the office of Trump’s longtime assistant, Rhona Graff. The chief attorney overseeing large transactions for the Trump Organization, including any involving Trump family members, the Queens-born father of six became a trusted negotiator for a fellow son of the outer boroughs, who built his entire brand on the concept of negotiating. Greenblatt now has some new real estate — he works out of the Old Executive Office Building, across the street from the White House — and a new negotiation to oversee: He serves as the president's lead envoy in the Middle East, figuring out how to deliver to the president “the ultimate deal,” peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Greenblatt is the rare, old-school Trump loyalist in a work environment where many of Trump’s top advisers are newcomers who date back only as far as his 2016 campaign. He reports directly to senior adviser Jared Kushner and functions outside of the competing spheres of influence in the West Wing. Greenblatt, assistant to the president and special representative for international negotiations, has become the point man in the White House on Middle East issues, in part because he didn’t need confirmation to start working. Trump friend and ally Ronald Lauder, a longtime leader of the American Jewish community, is also in regular contact with Greenblatt, advocating his belief in the possibility of a peace deal now.