Martin Marks

Martin Marks is a Jewish American political figure who has served in roles related to U.S. campaigns and presidential administrations. 

Marks’s family immigrated to the U.S. when he was eight years old. He grew up in South Florida.

He attended Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a BA in Writing Seminars (Honors) and Near Eastern Studies. Marks was a Phi Beta Kappa member and a Marshall Scholarship finalist. He then matriculated into the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars graduate program, earning an MA, and later earned his MFA at New York University while teaching in their writing programs. As a writer, his work has appeared in various publications, including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He also served as Editor-at-Large for The New York Observer.

Following years of battling a rare thoracic condition that involved nerve degeneration, crippling pain, and nearly a dozen primary operations over two years, Marks earned an ERYT-200/RYT-500 certification and founded his yoga studio. He managed all aspects of the business, from cleaning to teaching to payroll, gaining firsthand experience building a small business.

Marks has been involved in U.S. foreign policy through his family. President Trump asked his mother, Lana Marks, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. Marks served as her Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist during her nomination process, handling legal, personal, political, and media issues, including opposition research and preparing testimony. After the confirmation, he joined her in South Africa to support Trump’s foreign policy objectives. Marks’s family has also been connected to President Trump through their decades-long membership in his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach; the family stated they joined at a time when other private clubs there did not allow Jews to be members.

In 2022, Marks ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He initially ran in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, outperforming opponents in fundraising in a nine-person primary, but paused his campaign as redistricting continued. He listed controlling inflation, economic growth, keeping America safe and strong as key campaign messages, and identifying the economy and foreign policy as areas of personal passion.

Marks joined the Trump campaign before the 2024 election and served as the director of Jewish outreach, leading efforts to attract Jewish voters.

Following President Trump’s election win, Marks was appointed to serve as the White House Liaison to the Jewish Community in the Trump administration, with the formal title of special assistant to the president and director of Jewish engagement in the White House Faith Office. Trump did not appoint anyone to this specific liaison position in his previous term, with Jared Kushner and Elan Carr informally handling some related roles. As liaison, Marks serves as a conduit between the White House and the American Jewish community, communicating their concerns. He has been described as instrumental in understanding concerns regarding funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and a helpful facilitator.

Marks coordinated President Trump’s visit to the Ohel in October 2024 to commemorate the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack and organized a kosher-for-Passover event at the White House in April 2025.

Sources: “About Martin Marks,” Martin Marks for Florida.
“RPT: President Trump appoints Martin Marks,” LiveNOW Fox, (May 2, 2025).
Gabby Deutch, “Trump campaign staffer Martin Marks serving as White House Jewish liaison,” Jewish Insider, (May 2, 2025).
“Report: Trump has appointed Martin Marks as White House liaison to Jewish community,” Times of Israel, (May 2, 2025).

Photo: @martinjmarks.