Donald Trump’s interest in hiring conservative media personalities for federal jobs has been well documented. After all, the president has hired at least 20 former Fox News personalities, while tapping far-right podcast personalities to serve as both the director and deputy director of the FBI.
Predictably, the list is still growing longer. This week, for example, the Republican nominated Nick Adams, a prominent right-wing influencer and unabashed Trump cheerleader, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Malaysia. For those unfamiliar with Adams, NBC News highlighted elements of his rhetorical record.
He is … known for displays of bravado about his own machismo, including his love of the restaurant chain Hooters. In one post, he wrote: ‘I am based. I have rizz. I am smart. I am charismatic. I have superior genetics. I am strong. I am bold. I am intense. I have large amounts of testosterone. I am never wrong. I don’t apologize. I am an alpha male.’ ‘I never asked to be turned into a sex icon, God made me this attractive,’ he wrote in another.
In one especially memorable online missive, Adams also asserted, “If you love America, you love Trump — there are no exceptions to this rule.”
He’s similarly claimed, “Unfortunately today it’s more important to be a minority than it is to be a qualified person. The most persecuted group in the United States of America are straight, white, Christian men.”
Trump’s new nominee for Ambassador to Malaysia, Nick Adams: “Unfortunately today it’s more important to be a minority than a qualified person. The most persecuted group in the US is straight, white, Christian men.”
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) 2025-07-10T20:55:34.343Z
NBC News’ report added that Adams’ over-the-top sycophancy has been so ridiculous that some have speculated about whether he’s actually some kind of performance artist, since his antics and rhetoric are at times literally unbelievable. The skepticism is understandable: Well-adjusted adults tend not to publish tweets such as, “I’m a walking, talking masterpiece of masculinity. Testosterone levels spike when I enter a room. Everywhere I go, I leave a trail of awestruck admirers in my wake.”
Alas, the MAGA personality is apparently sincere, even if he appears to be a parody.
The current U.S. ambassador to Malaysia is Edgard Kagan, a decorated career Foreign Service veteran who’s served in multiple diplomatic positions around the world. If Trump has his way, Kagan’s successor will be an unqualified internet troll who writes missives such as, “You may not like it, but I sit with my legs spread wide open. Deal with it. Accept it. Move on. Alpha Male — OUT!” Just as notably, The New York Times noted that the White House wants Adams to represent the U.S. in Malaysia — a Muslim-majority country — despite his “history of Islamophobic remarks.” As is the case with all ambassadorial positions, Adams will need to be confirmed by the Senate, which in turn creates yet another test for the chamber’s Republican majority. So far in 2025, GOP senators have voted down exactly zero Trump nominees, becoming effectively a rubber stamp for the president. Will Senate Republicans do what they’re told once again, despite the obvious fact that Adams has no business serving in a diplomatic position? Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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