Overview
- The new U.S. ambassador is slated to arrive in Madrid on Tuesday and deliver his letters of credence to King Felipe VI roughly 24 hours later at the Royal Palace.
- The ceremony will include seven ambassadors after the Royal Household accommodated a Foreign Ministry request to expand the usual number.
- Spain’s Foreign Ministry has granted the plácet and said it will work with the ambassador to deepen bilateral relations.
- León was nominated by President Donald Trump in January 2025, confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December, and swore in this week before Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- During his Senate testimony, León said he would seek to reverse what he called a mistake by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in limiting defense spending to 2% of GDP rather than a 5% target.