President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday night he selected Ron Johnson to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico — but it’s not Wisconsin’s U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
This Ron Johnson, Trump said in a statement, was previously the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term and served in the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Army.
“Ron will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, of course, is a U.S. senator serving his third term. His full name is Ronald Harold Johnson, while the nominee’s is Ronald Douglas Johnson. Wisconsin’s Johnson is a staunch ally of Trump but has not been named to serve in his administration.
The announcement led to some confusion Tuesday night, with some news outlets reporting Trump had picked Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson or erroneously running photos of the senator.
On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, some national reporters pointed out the difference.
And Wisconsin’s Johnson himself reminded people “there are a few of us Ron Johnsons out there,” including a former NFL player and a JCPenney CEO.
Some Republicans in Wisconsin also found humor in the announcement and cheered the idea of Johnson remaining as Wisconsin’s senior senator.
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Trump has, however, picked a former Wisconsin congressman to serve in his Cabinet — Sean Duffy is his pick to lead the Department of Transportation. He represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District from 2011 to 2019 and co-hosted the Fox Business show “The Bottom Line.”
(This story was updated to add information.)