'Malaysia deserves better than Nick Adams as US ambassador'

Nick Adams. He is 40, goes to Hooters, and claims to be “pursued by copious amounts of women”.

If he gets past the US Senate confirmation hearings, Adams will replace Edgard Kagan as the US ambassador to Malaysia – and that has got more than just tongues wagging.

A chorus of objections has followed, with DAP’s Kasthuri Patto being the latest to oppose the idea of Adams taking up a comfy seat at the US Embassy in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement, Kasthuri said: “It is now known that Adams, a self-proclaimed ‘alpha male’ and influencer, was an Australian who became American through naturalisation and is now on the way to becoming the American representative to Malaysia.

“Apart from his perverse interest in Hooters, an American restaurant chain, his tweet saying ‘he is pursued by copious amounts of women’, and his extreme and conservative views – including Islamophobia – are disturbing.

“Malaysia deserves better than Adams as an ambassador of the US, more so with Malaysia chairing Asean this term and the US being a comprehensive strategic partner,” she added.

Others who have voiced opposition to Adams’ possible posting to Malaysia include representatives from PKR, Parti Amanah Negara, and the National Youth Council. They have also raised concerns over Adams’ strong support for Israel.

For the record, Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and has consistently supported Palestine.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil yesterday said the Cabinet has yet to receive a formal memorandum from the Foreign Ministry on any new ambassadorial or diplomatic appointment to Malaysia. He also reminded reporters that, in diplomacy, there is a concept known as ‘agrément’, where the host country must first accept the nominee. The same principle applies in reverse – when Malaysia appoints envoys abroad, approval from the host nation is also required.

Adams is the second potential US ambassador nominated under the Donald Trump administration to make international headlines for the wrong reasons.

Last week, Dr Anjani Sinha – the nominee for US ambassador to Singapore – attracted attention during his Senate confirmation hearing when he struggled to answer basic questions posed by US Senator Tammy Duckworth about the Republic.

“I just feel you are not taking this seriously,” Duckworth said. “You think this is a glamour posting – that you’re going to live a nice life in Singapore – when what we need is someone who can actually do the work.”

The video of the hearing has gone viral, continuing a string of comedic moments and diplomatic missteps from the Trump administration that have triggered disbelief and spawned memes.

Trump also raised eyebrows recently when he claimed that the Club World Cup trophy – prominently displayed in the Oval Office – would remain there. He said Fifa had made a copy of the trophy that was awarded to Chelsea after their 3–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.

However, not everyone is amused by Washington’s latest moves.

Nations are racing to negotiate new tariff rates introduced by Trump in April. Indonesia is the latest Southeast Asian country to succeed – lowering its tariff from 32 per cent to 19 per cent.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump revealed: “As part of the agreement, Indonesia has committed to purchasing US$15 billion in US energy, US$4.5 billion in American agricultural products, and 50 Boeing jets – many of them 777s.”

Malaysia, which has been slapped with a 25 per cent tariff – up one per cent from the initial list released in April – is still in discussions with the US.

Despite this, a survey by the Pew Research Centre published yesterday revealed that people in nearly all countries surveyed prioritised strong economic ties with the US over China.

The same survey, however, noted that more people globally now see China as the world’s leading economic power – compared to when the question was last asked in 2023.