Trump nominates influencer with history of controversial comments about Islam as M'sia Ambassador

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Australian-born commentator Nick Adams as the ambassador to Malaysia, he posted on his Truth Social account on Jul. 10.

History of controversial comments

Adam's nomination for ambassador of the Muslim-majority country has raised eyebrows due to his history of controversial remarks about Islam and Muslims.

In previous commentaries, Adams had accused Trump's political rivals of being "Islam supporters", and opposed efforts to include Islam into American school curriculum, The New York Times reported.

In 2020, he tweeted that America's greatest enemies were "China and Radical Islam."

However, he made a notable shift in his tone during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, in a seeming attempt to divide Democratic supporters over their stance on the Gaza War.

NYT reported that as a surrogate in the campaign, he, alongside other surrogates referred to Trump's Muslim supporters as “our Christian Arab friends" and "our Muslim Arab friends”.

They also shifted towards promoting the views of Muslim supporters who were outraged over former president Joe Biden's support for Israel.

"Alpha male", Hooters-loving

Online, Adams has also gained significant attention for being a self-proclaimed "alpha male", steak lover and loyal fan of Hooters, an American grill chain.

His account on X (formerly Twitter) is noted for his posts on  stereotypical symbols of traditional masculinity, as well as attacks on Trump's political rivals.

Adams has written and published books promoting macho-driven ideologies, such as "Alpha Kings", of which the foreword was written by Trump.

He also penned six books calling Biden "The Most Dangerous President in History”, while venerating Trump and wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "Defenders of Western Civilization", Politico said.

On his appointment, Adams posted a video on X thanking Trump and calling it "the honour of a lifetime".

"Receiving the call of duty is the greatest day in the life of any American," he said in the video.

“It is nothing short of a lifetime’s honor to take the president’s goodwill and spread it to the great people of Malaysia.” 

Australia-born

Adams was born in Australia and gained American citizenship in 2021. His surname was Adamopolous before changing it to Adams.

According to Politico, he had served in local Australian government as part of the Liberal Party before being condemned by colleagues and nearly suspended.

They reportedly said his conduct was “likely to embarrass or cause damage to the reputation”.

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Top images via NickAdamsinUSA/X