Trump’s ambassadors: the loyalists and allies at the center of controversy
Kimberly Guilfoyle’s departure has renewed scrutiny of the president’s picks for diplomatic posts, from France to Jamaica Donald Trump has appointed family members, friends and loyal political allies to represent the US on the world stage, dispatching an extraordinary array of characters to embassies across the world. While presidents of both parties have long rewarded donors and allies with plum ambassadorships…
Key points
- Kimberly Guilfoyle stepped down as US ambassador to Greece in October after corruption allegations.
- Charles Kushner, ambassador to France and Monaco, was banned from a meeting with counterparts in February.
- More than half of the 196 US ambassador roles remained unfilled as of October, with only 92 filled.
Donald Trump has appointed family members, friends and political allies to diplomatic posts worldwide, and Kimberly Guilfoyle's departure as US ambassador to Greece in October has renewed scrutiny of these picks. Guilfoyle, a conservative personality and former politician, began the role in November 2025, shortly after her engagement to Donald Trump Jr ended, and faced allegations of corruption.
The article lists several Trump-era ambassadors who have drawn controversy, from France to Jamaica, while noting that presidents of both parties have long rewarded donors and allies with such posts.
Ambassadors under scrutiny
Charles Kushner, father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, has served as ambassador to France and Monaco since July 2025. In February he was banned from a meeting with counterparts after failing to appear for a summons over his accusation that France allowed antisemitism and leftist extremism to spread. Kushner, a former attorney and real estate developer, was convicted of tax evasion, false statements to the Federal Election Commission and witness tampering, and was pardoned by Trump in 2020.
Bill White, former president of the Intrepid museum, became ambassador to Belgium in November 2025. He has clashed publicly with Belgium's foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, who in February admonished him for accusing Belgium of antisemitism and in August scolded him for calling a Belgian official a loser on social media, which White denied. Pete Hoekstra, a former Republican congressman from Michigan, has served as ambassador to Canada since April 2025; over the summer more than 200,000 Canadians signed a petition to expel him for normalizing Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st state.
Kari Lake is not the person for Jamaica
— Donald Tapia
Other controversial picks
William Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri and auctioneer, became ambassador to Iceland in August 2026 after briefly serving as internal revenue commissioner and being removed, reportedly due to clashes with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Earlier this year he apologized for joking that the US would make Iceland its 52nd state. Tom Rose, a former conservative commentator and adviser to Mike Pence, has been ambassador to Poland since November 2025; in February he cut off communications with the speaker of Poland's lower house over insults toward Trump, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk told him to respect, not lecture allies, which Rose rebuffed.
Kari Lake, a longtime election denier and Trump ally, was tapped as ambassador to Jamaica in May 2026, but her nomination has not been confirmed. Donald Tapia, ambassador to Jamaica from 2019 to 2021, told the Miami Herald that Lake is not the person for Jamaica, and Luis Moreno, who held the post from 2014 to 2017, called her not really a policy person and a lightweight appointment. The White House pulled Nick Adams's nomination as ambassador to Malaysia, and Amer Ghalib's nomination as ambassador to Kuwait stalled in the Senate over accusations he engaged with antisemitic content. As of October, just 92 of 196 ambassador roles were filled.
