Trump picks billionaire Landry’s chairman as Italy ambassador

FILE PHOTO: Tilman J. Fertitta speaks at a panel for the television series “Billion Dollar Buyer” during the NBCUniversal summer press day in Westlake Village

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he will nominate billionaire Houston Rockets pro basketball team owner Tilman Fertitta to be his administration’s ambassador to Italy.

Fertitta is the chairman and owner of Landry’s, which operates a large collection of restaurants, hotels and casinos throughout the United States.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump lauded the 67-year-old Texas native as an “accomplished businessman” and philanthropist.

(Reporting by Brad Heath; editing by Jonathan Oatis)