Trump picks Rubio ally Bernie Navarro to be Peru ambassador

David Catanese and Ben Wieder, Miami Herald on May 23, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has selected Miami private-equity entrepreneur Bernie Navarro to serve as U.S. ambassador to Peru.

The president described Navarro as a “highly respected leader” in real estate and economic recovery, noting his degrees from the University of Miami and Harvard University.

“Bernie’s expertise in Finance, Trade, Education, and U.S.-Peru Relations will help him be a strong advocate for America’s Interests in Peru,” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday night.

Navarro’s nomination requires approval from the U.S. Senate.

The Senate has confirmed at least 11 of Trump’s 27 ambassadorial nominations so far this year.

Navarro said he was honored to receive the appointment.

“I assume this responsibility with pride and commitment to represent the president and our great nation abroad,” he said in a statement to the Miami Herald.

Navarro has been friends with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for decades and has served as a top fundraiser for some of Rubio’s past campaigns.

He hosted an event at his home for Rubio’s friends and supporters in 2015 right before Rubio announced his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Navarro has also reportedly advised Rubio on real estate transactions and his firm loaned Rubio $850,000 in January 2021, with Navarro serving as the witness for the loan agreement. Rubio repaid the loan six months later.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez and Sen. Rick Scott were among the first to congratulate Navarro on his nomination. Both have received campaign contributions from Navarro in the past.

Navarro is the founder and president of Benworth Capital Partners, a private equity and licensed mortgage lending firm headquartered in Florida and Puerto Rico. The company specializes in asset-based financing and provides strategic advisory services in the highly regulated mortgage lending and financial services sectors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Navarro led Benworth Capital to become the fourth-largest lender by volume in the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, facilitating over $4.5 billion in relief to more than 311,000 businesses nationwide. Processing those loans earned the company more than $680 million in fees from the federal government.

But that lending also put Benworth in the crosshairs of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which filed a lawsuit against the lender last year saying that Benworth was in breach of contract for a loan the Federal Reserve Bank had given Benworth to fund its PPP lending.

That lawsuit was folded into a related dispute between Benworth and a technology company called Womply that Benworth had partnered with to process PPP applications.

Under the terms of the agreement between the two companies, Benworth turned over more than two-thirds of the $680 million in fees it earned from the program to the technology company. When an arbitrator ruled last year that Benworth would have to pay Womply $118 million more, Benworth informed the Federal Reserve Bank that it might not have enough money to pay back what it owed.

Benworth and Womply have since settled their dispute.

The Federal Reserve Bank’s action against Benworth is still active, however.

In recent weeks, the Federal Reserve Bank has complained about the access it has gotten to Benworth’s accounting information and mobile data, among other issues.

Navarro founded the Latin Builders Association Construction and Business Management Academy, the first charter high school in the U.S. established by a professional association, emphasizing a skills-first approach to education. Navarro also served as an appointed member and later chairman of the Board of Trustees for Miami Dade College.