Newly appointed US Ambassador Stacey Feinberg says she lobbied President Donald Trump for the Luxembourg posting, drawn by what she describes as the country’s beauty, safety, and alignment with American values.
Stacey Feinberg, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Luxembourg, says her arrival in the Grand Duchy is the result of a personal choice rather than political happenstance. In her first interview with RTL, the former entrepreneur and investor described Luxembourg as the "jewel of Europe" and revealed she had lobbied President Donald Trump directly for the posting, calling the country beautiful, safe, business-minded and profoundly aligned with American values.
Feinberg, who had never visited Luxembourg before taking up the position, said her first days in the country have confirmed her expectations. From buying flowers at the Place Guillaume market to meeting "His Royal Highness Guillaume himself", she described Luxembourg as warm and welcoming, even reminiscent of autumns in her native Boston.
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A non-career diplomat with a long entrepreneurial backstory
Feinberg's journey to diplomacy is unconventional. She is not a career foreign service officer but argues her eclectic professional background is precisely what qualifies her for the role.
Her résumé ranges from contract negotiation and entertainment reporting to running a hedge fund and opening a chain of sports bars across the United States. She has also invested heavily in female-led start-ups and built a portfolio of companies founded by women who, in many cases, had been overlooked due to career breaks or lack of early-stage capital.
A risk-taker at heart, Feinberg details one of her proudest achievements as helping a cancer survivor develop an idea initially scribbled on a napkin to promote cold cap therapy, which helps reduce hair loss in people undergoing chemotherapy. Making the technology affordable and available to people all over the US, she says that seeing the difference it makes has "made it all worth it".
"All the different experiences have brought me here", she said, adding that the "art of multitasking" that comes with being a mother of four had prepared her as well.
Her guiding principle, she explained, is relationship-building: "My word is my bond. If I give you my handshake, that's our contract." Much of that ethos, she said, comes from her father, a pioneering sports lawyer who took her everywhere from the Super Bowl to Olympic Games – and who introduced her to a young Donald Trump in 1985, back when he was still a real-estate developer. She now counts him as a personal friend.
Frieden, Trump, and CEO-style parallels
Feinberg has already met Prime Minister Luc Frieden and came away impressed by his CEO-style approach to governing and a deep comfort with the business world.
Asked directly whether Frieden and Trump have comparable leadership philosophies, she said: "I see parallels between the Prime Minister and our President, wonderful parallels." Both, she argued, have corresponding instincts and understand the importance of bringing private-sector expertise into government.
Feinberg said she hopes to use her business background to deepen transatlantic cooperation, particularly in future-oriented sectors where Luxembourg is already active – space, satellites, data centres and artificial intelligence. "All the industries of the future are happening right now here in Luxembourg", she noted.
At the same time, the ambassador also wants to make it easier for US companies to invest in Luxembourg and for Luxembourgish firms to grow in the American market.
No military guarantees, but Trump is the 'peace president'
The ambassador was more cautious when pressed on Europe's biggest security concern: whether the United States would defend Luxembourg and the EU in the event of a direct Russian aggression.
"I would be speculating", Feinberg said, declining to offer assurances. Instead, she emphasised Trump's desire to end conflicts swiftly: "President Trump is the peace president. He wants to end all wars, particularly Ukraine and Russia."
She continued that Trump had "ended eight wars in eight months" and expressed hopes that Ukraine would become the next conflict resolved, adding that the administration wants to avoid a prolonged military entanglement similar to Vietnam.
On China: Open dialogue and firm warnings
Months ahead of her arrival in the Grand Duchy, Feinberg drew attention during her Senate confirmation hearing when she said she would "humbly educate Luxembourg about the Chinese threat". The comment provoked a sharp reaction from both the Chinese embassy and Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, who insisted the country "does not need to be educated".
The ambassador stood by her underlying message, though in more calibrated terms. The US, she said, maintains open lines of communication with China – and wants its allies to do so as well – but she insists that European partners should be alert to risks around data privacy, critical infrastructure, and security when working with Chinese companies.
"You don't need to divorce China", she said, "but we would really like to be your preferred partner."
Charlie Kirk and the freedom-of-speech crusade
Feinberg also addressed her close relationship with Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated in September. She was an early supporter of his organisation, which she said she discovered through Donald Trump Jr and her own children, who had to navigate what she viewed as increasingly narrow ideological boundaries at elite American universities like Harvard and Yale.
Her donations, she explained, were driven not by partisanship but by support for free expression: "Students were being taught what to think, not how to think." Kirk, she said, reminded her of a self-taught philosopher, someone who quoted Plato and Aristotle and firmly believed in values like the "Golden Rule", family life, and civil debate.
He lived like a "saint" and died like a "martyr", Feinberg said, adding that she senses his presence guiding her here in Luxembourg. And "perhaps", he even played a role in her appointment, she conveyed.
A mission with no end point
Despite her enthusiasm, Feinberg says she has no illusions about the scale of the task. Her goals include improving conditions for entrepreneurs, boosting women-led ventures, strengthening bilateral trade, and protecting citizens' data security.
But she insists there is no "mission accomplished" moment in diplomacy. "You're always hoping and striving for more", she said – a philosophy consistent with a career defined by reinvention.
Luxembourg, she believes, is the right next step. "I'm so proud to be here", she said. "This is exactly where I should be at this time of my life."
