Brash US ambassador pick for Malayasia marks a turning point in diplomatic ties

President Donald Trump’s pick to be the United States’ next ambassador to Malaysia has raised more than a few eyebrows in the Southeast Asian nation. Right-wing influencer Nick Adams, a naturalised American born and raised in Australia, is, by his own account, a weightlifting, Bible-reading, “wildly successful” and “extremely charismatic” fan of Hooters and rare steaks, with the “physique of a Greek God” and “an IQ over 180.”

Such brashness seems at odds with the usually more quiet business of diplomacy. The same could be said about Adams’ lack of relevant experience, temperament and expressed opinions – which clash starkly with prevailing sentiment in majority-Muslim, socially conservative Malaysia.

Whereas the US usually sends a career State Department official as ambassador to Malaysia, Adams is most definitely a “political” nominee. His prior public service, as councilor, then deputy mayor, of a Sydney suburb ended abruptly in 2009 amid displays of undiplomatic temper. Yet far more problematic for his new posting is his past perceived disparaging of Islam and ardent pro-Israel views – lightning rod issues in a country that lacks diplomatic relations with Israel and whose population trends strongly pro-Palestinian.

So it was little surprise when news of Adam’s nomination on July 9, 2025, prompted angry pushback among the Malaysian public and politicians.

Whether or not Malaysia would officially reject his appointment, assuming Adams...

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