‘Not your typical pick’: Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to Malaysia raises eyebrows

KUALA LUMPUR – US President Donald Trump’s nomination of controversial internet personality Nick Adams as the next US ambassador to Malaysia has raised not only eyebrows but also questions about the fiery right-wing influencer’s suitability for the role and the state of relations between Washington and the Muslim-majority nation going forward.

While some observers expressed shock and dismay at Mr Trump’s pick, others looked to possible upsides, given Mr Adams’ seemingly close ties to the US leader.

Mr Adams, a 40-year-old naturalised US citizen originally from Australia, is known for his brash “alpha male” branding and bold presence on social media, detailing interests that include rare steaks and frequent visits to the Hooters restaurant chain where female servers don tight tops and short shorts. He has 625,000 followers on social media platform X and more than 60,000 on Instagram.

Having risen to prominence on a wave of machismo, misogyny and crass humour, Mr Adams’ controversial online history includes Islamophobic comments, denigrating Mr Trump’s political rivals as supporters of Islam and railing against purported efforts to “teach Islam in schools”.

In August 2020, his post on X said: “So it’s not okay for an HS (high school) football coach to pray before games, but it is okay to teach Islam in schools? Got it.”

The US President’s

nomination of Mr Adams

– a self-professed “alpha male” and long-time Trump loyalist who made a name for himself online and as a motivational speaker advocating a particular brand of conservative masculinity and railing against “woke” culture – which was sent to the Senate on July 9 has perplexed and rattled Malaysia watchers.

Dr Bridget Welsh, a political analyst specialising in South-east Asia, told The Straits Times: “The shock at the nominee (Adams) is strong, especially given his comments on social media. Trump’s focus on loyalty and political appointees, rather than professional diplomats or regional expertise, will inevitably undercut US engagement with the region.”

The choice of Mr Adams as the top diplomat to Malaysia reflects a lack of respect for and understanding of the country, she added.

Coming amid prevailing tariffs pressure and the US administration’s confrontational approach to foreign policy, this could “exacerbate political and economic decoupling and deepen anti-American sentiments”.

“If one values the bilateral relationship, one does not appoint someone who has a record of offensive remarks about the faith and culture of another society,” said Dr Welsh, who is an honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute-Malaysia.

Mainly Muslim ethnic Malays form the majority or nearly 60 per cent of the country’s 35 million population, while Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups make up the remainder.

In a video shared on social media after his nomination, Mr Adams said that it is “nothing short of a lifetime’s honour to take the President’s goodwill and spread it to the great people of Malaysia”.

Mr Adams, who became a US citizen in 2021, lacks formal diplomatic experience.

Born in Sydney, he attended university there before moving to the US in 2012, where he became an early, fawning supporter of Mr Trump and amassed a conservative following with his hyper “alpha male” persona.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Adams’ appointment would mark a sharp break from tradition, as Malaysia has mostly welcomed career diplomats instead of political appointees, country observers said.

Mr Shahriman Lockman, a foreign policy analyst at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, told ST: “Nick Adams is not your typical pick, but perhaps that is what is needed at this moment – someone who doesn’t have the limitations and restraints of career diplomats and potentially possessing a direct channel to Trump.”

“With the exception of Barbara M. Watson (who served as US ambassador to Malaysia from 1980 to 1981) – the last political appointee to this post under the Carter administration – we have had career diplomats as US ambassadors to Malaysia,” he noted.

Born Nick Adamopoulos to a Greek father and German mother, Mr Adams became the youngest deputy mayor in Australian history at 21. He adopted a nationalistic approach in his early days in politics, warning of what he saw as the threats of multiculturalism.

Mr Adams, who is unmarried, rallied actively for Mr Trump in the 2024 US election. He was appointed to the board of US think-tank Wilson Centre during the first Trump administration. In fact, Mr Trump wrote the foreword to Mr Adams’ most recently published book promoting macho ideology, Alpha Kings, praising him as “one of my favourite authors and also one of my favourite speakers”.

In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump called Mr Adams “an incredible patriot and very successful entrepreneur”, who has “made it his life’s mission to extol the virtues of American greatness”.

If Mr Adams serves as the next US ambassador to Malaysia, country watchers say the credibility of US engagement in South-east Asia could take a further hit.

“His past comments on Islam are problematic and will not go unnoticed. That could affect his welcome and access in Malaysia,” Mr Shahriman said.

“But let’s not forget that Trump himself has expressed troubling views about Islam – amplifying them on social media and even enacting them through policy. Yet we have all had to hold our noses and engage him regardless.”

An Asian diplomat based in Kuala Lumpur, who declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said Mr Adams’ nomination marked “a gloomy day for American diplomacy in Malaysia”.

“This, plus the 25 per cent, is Trump taking Malaysia seriously?” he said, referring to the revised 25 per cent tariff rate that the US announced for Malaysia earlier this week, up from 24 per cent previously.

The same diplomat raised doubts about Mr Adams’ potential to engage on policy, saying: “I cannot imagine him having a good grasp of trade or defence or all the other important sectors of the US-Malaysia relationship.”

Mr Adams’ nomination comes amid China’s efforts to court South-east Asian countries in attempts to establish an alternative to Western dominance. Malaysia has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, while Mr Adams – along with a history of making Islamophobic remarks online – has vocally backed Israel. 

Still, Malaysia’s foreign policy direction is unlikely to shift dramatically because of a single appointment.

“I think the Anwar administration is practical enough to recognise that it must deal with America as it is, not as it would like it to be,” said Mr Shahriman, ruling out Malaysia pivoting away from the US and turning to China.

“Malaysia does not have the luxury of insulating itself from one side or the other,” he added.

“The US is too important to Malaysia’s economy – sometimes even more so than China. US companies are the largest investors in Malaysia. In 2024, the United States was Malaysia’s second-largest export market. That’s nothing to sniff at. There is no real Plan B to America.”