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Dozens of Malaysians gathered near the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s nomination of Nick Adams as the next ambassador to Malaysia.
Demonstrators chanted slogans like “Reject Nick Adams” and “Destroy America,” displaying posters with Adams’s image crossed out and signs declaring, “No space for racists and Islamophobes in Malaysia.”
Adams, a 40-year-old Australian-born, naturalised US citizen, is a right-wing commentator known for his outspoken views, including strong pro-Israel stances.
On the social media platform X, he has described himself as “Single. Alpha Male. Wildly Successful. Built like a Greek god. President Trump’s favourite author.”
He has also posted that “if you stand with Palestine, you stand with radical Islamic terrorists and Jew hatred.”
Malaysia, a multicultural, Muslim-majority nation of 34.5 million people, has no diplomatic ties with Israel and has consistently condemned its actions in Gaza and other regions.
Diplomatic Challenge for Malaysia
The protest, organised by youth wings of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition, delivered a memorandum to the embassy. They urged the US government to withdraw Adams’s nomination and “consider a candidate who is more professional, moderate, and attuned to the importance of Southeast Asia’s regional stability.”
Around 90 police officers monitored the peaceful demonstration.
Adams’s nomination has put Anwar’s government in a challenging position.
Malaysia is currently negotiating a trade deal with the Trump administration to avoid a threatened 25 per cent tariff on Malaysian imports, with an August 1 deadline looming.
Simultaneously, the government must manage growing public calls to reject Adams’s appointment.
Protester Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez, 36, stated, “The ambassadorship to Malaysia is not a paid holiday job for any loyalist… or any Tom, Dick, or Nick.”
He emphasised the need for “a skilful diplomat with a steady hand that understands the culture, that understands the nuances of Malaysia” in today’s uncertain world.
Following his nomination, Adams released an online statement expressing that it was “nothing short of a lifetime’s honour to take the President’s goodwill and spread it to the great people of Malaysia.”
