Steve Witkoff, a former real estate mogul turned makeshift diplomat, has become a growing liability for the Trump administration, drawing scorn from foreign policy experts, career diplomats, and even members of Trump’s own orbit, the NY Post reported in a scathing article. Once hailed for brokering a brief cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Witkoff’s erratic solo diplomacy is now being widely ridiculed as amateurish, naive, and dangerously out of step with international norms.

Witkoff, now serving as President Trump’s special envoy to both the Middle East and Russia, has taken on a role that would overwhelm even seasoned statesmen. But rather than surrounding himself with veteran negotiators and intelligence experts, Witkoff has taken to flying solo — literally. Sources say he regularly meets alone with world leaders like Vladimir Putin, sometimes relying on Kremlin translators instead of U.S. personnel. One former Trump official described Witkoff bluntly: “Nice guy, but a bumbling… idiot. He should not be doing this alone.”

The criticism isn’t unfounded. In a March meeting in Qatar, Witkoff walked away from talks with Hamas believing he had secured a hostage deal. Days later, the terror group pulled the rug out from under him, offering only one living hostage in return for concessions. Witkoff admitted on national TV he might have been “duped.” The cease-fire collapsed within days.

His performance on the Russia front has been no better. While retired Gen. Keith Kellogg handles negotiations with Ukraine, Witkoff — handpicked by Trump to deal with Moscow — has effectively become the Kremlin’s mouthpiece in Washington. In an eyebrow-raising interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff parroted Putin’s propaganda nearly word for word, referring to occupied Ukrainian regions as “Russian-speaking” territories with legitimate referenda, while failing to recall the names of the four oblasts in question. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul didn’t mince words: “Witkoff acts as a mailman for Putin. He is not negotiating anything.”

Even worse, video footage shows Witkoff asking whether his own translator at a Kremlin meeting was “from the embassy.” Experts were stunned. “You do not walk into a hostile negotiation relying on the other side’s translator,” said Estonian-Ukrainian advisor Jaanika Merilo. “Unless you are incompetent. Or worse — unless you don’t care.”

And then there’s Iran. In yet another diplomatic misfire, Witkoff floated a return to a watered-down nuclear deal allowing Iran to retain enrichment capabilities — only to walk back his own comments a day later. Critics blasted the trial balloon as reckless and uninformed. “Witkoff’s discussions with Iran are a waste of oxygen,” said former National Security Advisor John Bolton. “The Iranians are buying time. And he’s giving it to them.”

The bigger question: why is a man with no diplomatic experience juggling three of the world’s most explosive crises? “This is not shuttle diplomacy,” said one Israeli expert. “It’s Uber diplomacy — and Witkoff is in the driver’s seat with no GPS.”

Despite mounting criticism, the Trump White House has rushed to Witkoff’s defense. “Steve Witkoff has done incredible work,” said Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly. “Like President Trump, he is focused on stopping the killing and advancing peace through strength.”

But to many observers, Witkoff’s greatest strength seems to be his talent for confusing both allies and adversaries — while undermining U.S. credibility in the process. A cease-fire gone awry, a Putin lovefest, a nuclear walk-back, and a translator mystery — the Witkoff record is less statesman and more slapstick.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)