The Trump administration’s selection of Nick Adams, a self-styled “Alpha Male” author and social media provocateur, as the next US ambassador to Malaysia has triggered outrage in the Muslim-majority nation, with critics questioning the motives behind the decision.
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Washington announced on Thursday that Adams, who has a history of inflammatory remarks, had been selected for the diplomatic post. The decision has prompted alarm among diplomats and Southeast Asian observers, many of whom see President Donald Trump’s choice as prioritising political loyalty over diplomatic expertise.
Adams, a naturalised American and former member of Australia’s Liberal Party before immigrating to the United States in 2012, has regularly courted controversy with his misogynistic remarks, Islamophobic tirades – such as the claim that Trump’s opponents sought to “teach Islam in schools” – and vocal support of Israel.
Members of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition have decried Adams’s appointment as an “insult” to the Muslim-majority country, especially its decades of support for Palestinian rights.
Nick Adams is not a diplomat, not a statesman. He is merely an extreme right-wing propagandist
“Nick Adams is not a diplomat, not a statesman. He is merely an extreme right-wing propagandist, a Trumpist and vocal supporter of Israel’s Zionist regime,” said Mus’ab Muzahar, an official from moderate Islamist party Amanah, part of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.
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“His social media rhetoric is full of hatred, racism and Islamophobic sentiments which veer far from mature bilateral relations.”