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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

The news rippled through Malaysian social media with something close to glee.
Nick Adams, the Australian-born, self-described “alpha male” whom US President Donald Trump had nominated as ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, was not coming after all.
“They do listen sometimes,” said Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim, a youth leader from the People’s Justice Party who had been among the dozens who marched to the US embassy last July demanding Washington reconsider the appointment.
Adams himself offered a very different gloss, insisting to The Sydney Morning Herald that he had not been passed over but elevated.
“I’ve been promoted from the role of ambassador!” he wrote in a message quoted by regional media, adding that more details would come “this coming week”.

Mr. President, thank you for the honor of a lifetime. In your America, all dreams come true. It will be my honor to represent the United States of America in Malaysia.
To the esteemed Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I look forward to a confirmation process… pic.twitter.com/SRyTEnCpwS
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) July 10, 2025

A review of public US Senate records by This Week in Asia showed that Adams’ nomination to Malaysia was returned to the president on January 3 under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6, meaning it was no longer before the Senate for confirmation.
Trump had first put Adams’ name forward on July 10 last year, but the nomination never advanced to a confirmation vote.
The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur is currently headed by Charge d’Affaires David “Chip” Gamble, a career diplomat. Edgard Kagan, the previous ambassador, ended his roughly two-year tenure on February 15.
Steaks and weights
From the moment Adams’ name emerged, it landed in Malaysia with a thud.
Critics across the political spectrum questioned the wisdom of appointing a man whose public profile was built on combative social media posts, culture-war posturing and controversy as envoy to a Muslim-majority country with a long and vocal commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Adams has repeatedly drawn attention for his macho, provocative social media content. In one widely circulated post, he wrote: “I go to Hooters. I eat rare steaks. I lift extremely heavy weights. I read the Bible every night. I am pursued by copious amounts of women,” before concluding that his critics “hate me because I have the body of a Greek God”.
My concerns were always about ensuring that any ambassador to Malaysia respects our nation’s diversity
Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim, People’s Justice Party
Malaysian commentators had also flagged his pro-Israel rhetoric and remarks they characterised as “hostile to Islam”.
The backlash spilled out into the streets last July, when dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy and submitted a memorandum urging Washington to reconsider Adam’s nomination.
It was a rare display of public pressure over a diplomatic appointment – and one that appears to have registered.
Toxic timing
Adams was not just a bad appointment. He was a bad appointment at a bad time.
Malaysia was already managing sustained pressure over US tariffs, while Washington’s backing for Israel’s war in Gaza had stirred deep public anger in a country where support for Palestinians is instinctive and broad.
In that climate, the nomination of a pro-Israel envoy with a gift for provocation was, for many Malaysians, simply a step too far.

For Muhammad Izuan, who helped organise the protest in July, the episode carries a clear lesson about what diplomatic appointments signal.
“My concerns were always about ensuring that any ambassador to Malaysia respects our nation’s diversity and shared diplomatic norms,” he said.
“I hope the next nominee will further strengthen the Malaysia-US relationship in a constructive and mutually respectful manner.”
On social media, the reaction was less measured. Some users described Adams as too racist for a multiracial society such as Malaysia; others simply savoured the irony.
“Even the US”, one post noted, could be forced into a U-turn.
Adams’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


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Malaysians protest outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on July 18 last year against the proposed appointment of Nick Adams as ambassador to the country. Photo: AFP

Malaysians wave placards during a rally for Gaza held in Kuala Lumpur last August. Photo: AFP

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A worker walks inside the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Gebeng, Pahang. Malaysia says it aims to expand downstream processing of rare earths rather than export raw materials. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia’s minister of foreign affairs, Mohamad Hasan, at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Cebu City on January 29. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump (L) and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) hold up signed documents on a critical minerals deal during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26. Photo: AFP

Trump’s Hooters-loving Malaysia ambassador pick worries Asean diplomats

The choice of Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia has worried observers that he was picked for political loyalty rather than diplomatic expertise. Photo: NickAdamsinUS/Twitter

Anjani Sinha at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Photo: C-Span

Malaysia lashes out at Trump’s pick of ‘Zionist’ envoy Nick Adams: ‘not welcome here’

Nick Adams, the Trump administration’s pick for US ambassador to Malaysia, has repeatedly made headlines in his adopted homeland for his inflammatory remarks. Photo: Instagram/nickaone

A screenshot of a social media post by Nick Adams cultivating his self-style “Alpha Male” image. Image: X/NickAdamsinUSA

A protester in Kuala Lumpur holds a placard reading “Arrest Netanyahu” during a rally held last month in solidarity with Palestinians. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa

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He boasted about eating rare steaks and reading the Bible daily, but the combative US envoy pick proved too tough for Malaysia to swallow


He boasted about eating rare steaks and reading the Bible daily, but the combative US envoy pick proved too tough for Malaysia to swallow.


Malaysians cheer as US drops ‘alpha male’ ambassador pick Nick Adams

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}He boasted about eating rare steaks and reading the Bible daily, but the combative US envoy pick proved too tough for Malaysia to swallow

He boasted about eating rare steaks and reading the Bible daily, but the combative US envoy pick proved too tough for Malaysia to swallow