Trump Nominates Natalie Baker as US Ambassador to Pakistan

United States President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie A. Baker to serve as the next American ambassador to Pakistan, taking a step to fill a diplomatic position that has been empty for nearly two years. The White House forwarded her nomination to the Senate on November 9, and she will need to be confirmed by the Senate before formally assuming the ambassador's role.

According to the official announcement, Baker is a resident of Texas and a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Minister-Counselor. She arrived at the US Embassy in Islamabad in August 2024 to serve as Deputy Chief of Mission. When Ambassador Donald Blome departed in January 2025, she stepped in as Chargé d'Affaires and has since overseen the mission's operations in Pakistan.

Her time as Deputy Chief of Mission concluded in September, but Baker stayed on in Islamabad as Chargé d'Affaires, continuing to lead the embassy in the absence of a confirmed ambassador. The nomination now places the question of a full-time US envoy to Pakistan before the Senate for consideration.

Baker is originally from San Antonio, Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and is also a distinguished graduate of the US National War College.

The appointment comes as Washington and Islamabad maintain a relationship that spans security, trade and regional diplomacy. A confirmed ambassador would provide a permanent senior representative in Pakistan after a prolonged period in which the mission was led by a senior career diplomat.

The Senate confirmation process will determine whether Baker, who has already been leading the embassy in an acting capacity, formally takes up the ambassador's post. Until then, she remains the senior US official at the mission in Islamabad.