According to the senator, Sinha, presented by the State Department as a renowned surgeon and entrepreneur of the East Coast, is “not qualified” for this position and the United States needs “someone who will really do the work”.
“I beg you, I try to help you, but you did not even do your homework, sir,” said Duckworth, who fought in Iraq and lost her legs during their exchange.
“You want to be an ambassador to Singapore, one of the most important allies we have in Indo-Pacific, a key place where we are going to fight against our greatest adversary in the region, the RPC” (People’s Republic of China), she added.
Trump’s return of threats revives trade tensions
Visibly exasperated, the senator, whose mother was a Thai Chinese origin, told Mr. Sinha that being ambassador of the United States in Singapore, one of the safest countries in Asia, was not a “glamorous” position.
Asked about the magnitude of the United States’s trade surplus with Singapore in 2024, Mr. Sinha first replied “80 billion dollars”, before talking about “$ 18 billion”, while the exact figure is $ 2.8 billion.
Despite his mediocre performance, the confirmation of Mr. Sinha is likely, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee being controlled by the Republicans.
If the previous American presidents have often appointed non -diplomatic career ambassadors in thanks for their political support, Donald Trump A distinguished by also appointing family members and billionaires among his relatives.
Another close support of the American president, Nick Adams, a conservative commentator born in Australia who describes himself as an “alpha male”, could soon become ambassador to Malaysia.