Football Player, In-Law, Son's Ex-Girlfriend... "Trump's Diplomatic Team Like a Clown Car"

"Deliberate Insult to Opposing Country" Criticism

As Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, continues to nominate diplomatic ambassadors, harsh criticism is pouring in regarding their qualifications.

President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.

On the 21st (local time), the British daily The Guardian remarked, "(Trump administration's diplomatic ambassador nominees) appear to be a motley delegation at first glance." The Guardian pointed out that although Trump hastily appointed envoys to promote the ideology of 'America First,' their credentials are lacking, borrowing the phrase from an "experienced foreign policy analyst" to label them as a "diplomatic clown car." It also criticized the appointments as a "deliberate insult to other countries." The Guardian added, "Unlike most countries that appoint ambassadors from professional diplomats, U.S. presidents have traditionally rewarded close associates or financial backers with ambassadorial posts," and "Among them, Trump has opened a new chapter of criticism in terms of scale and suitability."

Herschel Walker was nominated as the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. Walker is a former NFL star player who ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Georgia federal Senate election. Charles Kushner, Trump’s father-in-law, was nominated as ambassador to France. He is the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, Trump’s eldest daughter, and was previously indicted and sentenced to prison for charges including tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering.

Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 just before the end of his first presidential term, but former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor, described Kushner’s crimes as "one of the most disgusting and repugnant offenses" among the cases he prosecuted, according to foreign media reports.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to Greece by President-elect Donald Trump. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Kimberly Guilfoyle was nominated as ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle is known for her work as a prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles before becoming a Fox News anchor. She was reportedly dating Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., but recently broke up. The Guardian criticized, "The ambassadorship to Greece was once the exclusive domain of seasoned diplomats," and "Guilfoyle is better known for her flashy media profile than diplomatic finesse."

The Guardian emphasized that Trump also appointed other seemingly unsuitable diplomatic envoys besides Walker, Kushner, and Guilfoyle. Trump nominated his close associate and billionaire real estate developer Tom Barrack as ambassador to T?rkiye. T?rkiye has become a country of strategic importance following the ousting of the Assad regime in Syria. However, Barrack was indicted during Trump’s first administration for acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and lying to the FBI. He was acquitted in 2022. Thomas Countryman, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, criticized, saying, "It will be difficult to separate the private interests of Trump and Barrack from the professional duties Barrack must perform in Ankara."

Additionally, Mike Huckabee, nominated by Trump as ambassador to Israel, is a self-proclaimed Christian Zionist. Because of this, he is considered unsuitable as a mediator for peace between Israel and Palestine.

Some voices call for the Senate to thoroughly review ambassadorial candidates and reject those deemed unfit, but The Guardian pointed out, "Since the 19th century, the Senate has never officially rejected an ambassadorial nominee; it has only indirectly rejected them by using delay tactics during confirmation hearings."