Donald Trump awarded another government post to a supporter of his 2024 presidential campaign with the announcement that a Detroit pot shop magnate would be his administration’s new special envoy to Iraq.
The appointment of Mark Savaya, a Michigan-based businessman and Instagram influencer who has been photographed with the president numerous times, was announced on the president’s Truth Social page.
“I’m pleased to announce Mark Savaya will serve as Special Envoy to the Republic of Iraq,” Trump wrote Sunday. “Mark’s deep understanding of the Iraq-U.S. relationship, and his connections in the region, will help advance the interests of the American people.”
Trump added of Savaya: “Mark was a key player in my campaign in Michigan, where he, and others, helped secure a record vote with Muslim Americans. Congratulations, Mark!”
Savaya, according to his LinkedIn page, has no government experience at the local, state or federal level. He’s a business owner in the area around Detroit, where he founded a chain of marijuana dispensaries called Leaf and Bud, known locally for an aggressive billboard marketing campaign along the city’s iconic 8 Mile Road that led city leaders to pass an ordinance restricting such ads.
According to a Reddit thread, two of Savaya’s Leaf and Bud locations have closed since January and the company’s website now lists just three brick-and-mortar locations remaining
The site also appears to have been updated to remove references to Savaya, including “The Mark Savaya Collection” — a hand-picked selection of THC products curated by the founder himself. Reviews mentioning Savaya were still visible on the site as of Sunday, including one noting that a picture of Savaya shaking Rudy Giuliani’s hand was present in one store location.
The Independent reached out to Leaf and Bud on Sunday afternoon to confirm Savaya’s current role with the company. He was previously identified as a “visionary” behind the dispensary chain on the business’s website.
“I am deeply humbled, honored and grateful to President Donald J. Trump for appointing me as Special Envoy to the Republic of Iraq,” Savaya wrote on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
“I am committed to strengthening the U.S.–Iraq partnership under President Trump’s leadership and guidance. Thank you, Mr. President,” he wrote.
According to one local news site, Savaya’s company previously funded billboards along 8 Mile Road that read: “Come get it. Free weed.”
Trump, by comparison, is known to be personally opposed to drug use, but has softened his stance in recent years. He supported Florida’s ballot measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana in 2024. At the same time, he was calling for executions of drug traffickers on the campaign trail; in 2019, he praised China for using capital punishment in some severe drug-related cases.
Since returning to office in January, the president has also launched a series of military strikes targeting vessels it claims are ferrying drugs to the United States in the Caribbean. A wide range of critics across the political spectrum have decried the strikes as illegal under U.S. and international law.
