Trump's pick for Singapore envoy chided for lack of knowledge
Physician Anjani Sinha was pressed by Thai-born Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois over issues such as trade with the US and Singapore's priorities when it assumes the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2027.
When asked about the size of the US trade surplus with Singapore in 2024, Sinha initially said it was $80 billion, then quickly revised it to $18 billion. The actual surplus was $2.8 billion, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
The responses prompted Duckworth to say: 'I am trying to help you here but you have not even done your homework.' She added that Sinha was 'not prepared for this posting.'
Duckworth also questioned him about issues that would be important to Singapore, its upcoming chairmanship of Asean, and the US Navy's presence in the city-state.
Sinha either did not know the answers or stumbled in his responses.
At the end of the exchange Ms Duckworth appeared exasperated and said: 'I just feel you are not taking this seriously.
'You think this is a glamour posting, that you're going to live a nice life in Singapore, when what we need is someone who can actually do the work.'
Videos of the exchange (see below) have gone viral in Southeast Asia.
Asked if he supported Trump's 10% tariff on imports from Singapore, Sinha said, 'I believe in the president's decision of free trade with any nation in the world and he's resetting the trade numbers with each country and he's open for discussion and dialogue with each country.'
Despite the pushback from Duckworth, Republicans hold the majority in the Senate and have enough votes to approve the nomination.
The post of ambassador to Singapore has been a fraught issue since the first Trump term, when his initial nominee for the role failed to advance to the confirmation stage.
Then, during the Biden administration, Ambassador Jonathan Kaplan was accused in an inspector-general's report last year of threatening staff, wasting money and poorly promoting US interests.
Kaplan, who left his post in January, said in a statement at the time that he took 'full responsibility for quickly addressing the concerns and recommendations found in the report'.
Sinha appeared alongside four other ambassadorial nominees, including Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr, who has been nominated to serve in Greece.
The oprthopaedic surgeon and founder of a chain of clinics was introduced by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who cited Singapore's medical tourism sector as an area Sinha could help develop.
'He knows the region and he knows the issues,' Graham said.
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