The Unlikely Ambassadors: Trump’s Diplomatic Picks Raise Concerns
The Bahamas, Paris, and Greece are among the countries that will be represented by a new crop of unlikely ambassadors, handpicked by President-elect Donald Trump. The trio, which includes Herschel Walker, Charles Kushner, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, has raised eyebrows among foreign policy analysts and experts, who question their qualifications and potential conflicts of interest.
Walker, a former NFL star, was undone by a string of personal embarrassments during his Senate campaign, while Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law, was pardoned by the president-elect for a felony conviction. Guilfoyle, Trump’s former romantic partner, is known more for her media profile than her diplomatic acumen.
The trio is part of a flurry of ambassadorial nominees rolled out by Trump in recent weeks, as he rushes to fill his administration with envoys who will project his “America First” ideology abroad. The lack of credentials has prompted one experienced foreign policy analyst to label them a “diplomatic clown car” – and a deliberate affront to the countries hosting them.
Trump has broken new ground with the sheer volume of ambassadorial nominations, and his lack of consideration of their professional suitability. Unlike most countries, which fill ambassadors’ roles from the ranks of professional diplomats, it is customary for US presidents to reward allies and financial backers with ambassadorial jobs – with prize postings like London and Paris almost always going to friends of the man in the oval office.
But Trump has taken it to a new level, with nominations that have raised concerns about the quality of US foreign policy in vital areas, as well as conflicts of interest. For example, Tom Barrack, Trump’s friend and former chairman of his inaugural committee, has been tapped as ambassador to Turkey, despite being acquitted of charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates during the first Trump administration.
The overall quality of Trump’s ambassadorial nominees is the worst ever, according to international relations professor Dennis Jett, who singled out Mike Huckabee, the nominee for ambassador to Israel, as the poorest pick. Huckabee, an avowed Christian Zionist, has denied that the West Bank is under military occupation – a status broadly recognized by the international community.
The Senate has not formally rejected an ambassadorial candidate since the 19th century, but experts say it is crucial for the upper chamber to scrutinize nominees and reject those who are obviously unfit. However, veteran Washington foreign policy analyst Joe Cirincione dismissed the chances of a Senate pushback, condemning the Democrats for failing to raise the alarm.
As the diplomatic clown car rolls up at the Capitol, it remains to be seen whether the Senate will take its responsibility seriously and evaluate each candidate on its merits, or whether it will continue to consent in advance without rigorous review of Trump’s nominees.
