'Alpha Male' Influencer Is Trump Pick for Diplomatic Post

President Trump has nominated a self-proclaimed "alpha male" influencer from Australia known for his lavish praise of Hooters to be the next American ambassador to Malaysia. Nick Adams, who became a US citizen in 2021, has amassed a large online following with "crass jokes and other forms of internet trolling," per the New York Times.

• "Nick is an incredible Patriot and very successful entrepreneur, whose love of, and devotion to, our Great Country is an inspiration," Trump said in a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination on Thursday. "Nick is a bestselling author, speaker, and commentator" who "graduated from the University of Sydney and, since then, has made it his life's mission to extol the Virtues of American Greatness," Trump wrote.

• In 2017, Trump praised Adams' book, Green Card Warrior: My Quest for Legal Immigration in an Illegals' System, the Guardian reports. His later books include Retaking America: Crushing Political Correctness, Class Dismissed: Why College Isn't the Answer, and The Most Dangerous President in History, which accuses former President Biden of carrying out a "destructive agenda against our entire system of freedom."
• Adams, whose appointment as ambassador to the Muslim-majority country needs to be confirmed by the Senate, has a history of making Islamophobic remarks, the Times reports.
• Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, says Adams' lack of experience and "bombastic" style are unlikely to improve a US-Malaysia relationship that is already in rough shape due to issues including tariffs. "It's potentially a problematic appointment. It shows that Trump doesn't value the foreign service," he tells the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "It probably will not go down well in Malaysia."