Senate Republicans have signaled they will oppose President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amer Ghalib as ambassador to Kuwait, citing concerns over his past comments on Israel and Middle Eastern leaders. This follows a similar rejection of another Trump nominee due to antisemitic remarks, highlighting ongoing tensions within the Republican party over such issues.
Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Mich., made headlines in 2024 for endorsing Trump in his capacity as the mayor of the only U.S. city run entirely by Muslims. He was excoriated by Republicans and Democrats during his confirmation hearing last Thursday, where he had to answer for past comments suggesting Israel deserved to be attacked by Hamas and for allegedly complimenting members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the late dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) stated he would vote against Ghalib’s nomination even before the hearing.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) also expressed their opposition. Assuming all Democrats vote ‘no,’ Ghalib can afford to lose only three Republicans on the Senate floor before Vice President JD Vance is called upon to break a tie. Currently, Ghalib would not have GOP support to advance out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where only two Republicans can oppose a nominee on an otherwise party-line vote. A fourth GOP opponent could be incoming, as Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) was noncommittal when asked how he would vote on the nominee.
The Trump administration recently withdrew its nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, after reports of racist and antisemitic remarks in his texts. A lawyer for Ingrassia denied the authenticity of the texts, stating they ‘could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted.’ The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Ghalib’s nomination. A spokesperson for Senator Jim Risch, the Senate Foreign Relations chair, also did not respond to questions about supporting Ghalib and whether the nominee would appear on the agenda for an upcoming markup.