Trump’s ambassadors: the loyalists and allies at the center of controversy
Kimberly Guilfoyle’s departure has renewed scrutiny of the president’s picks for diplomatic posts, from France to Jamaica
TL;DR
- Donald Trump has appointed family members, friends, and loyal political allies to represent the US as ambassadors.
- Kimberly Guilfoyle's departure as ambassador to Greece followed allegations of corruption and misconduct.
- Charles Kushner, father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, was appointed ambassador to France and Monaco despite a past conviction for tax evasion, false statements, and witness tampering.
- Bill White, ambassador to Belgium, has had public disagreements with Belgium's foreign minister regarding accusations of antisemitism and calling an official a 'loser'.
- Pete Hoekstra, ambassador to Canada, has faced a petition for expulsion and has been openly critical of Canada.
- Billy Long, ambassador to Iceland, had to apologize for joking about making Iceland the 52nd US state.
- Tom Rose, ambassador to Poland, cut off communications with a Polish politician over perceived insults to Trump.
- Kari Lake, an election denier, has been nominated as ambassador to Jamaica, facing criticism from former ambassadors.
- Other controversial nominees, like Nick Adams and Amer Ghalib, have had their nominations pulled or stalled.
- As of October, over half of the ambassador roles remain unfilled.