No to Nick Adams: Malaysian activists warn of protests against US envoy pick
The appointment could test Malaysia’s diplomatic pragmatism as it seeks a trade deal with the US amid Gaza tensions, analysts say
Members of Malaysia’s ruling coalition gave their strongest warning yet against the nomination of “alpha male” social media provocateur Nick Adams as America’s new envoy to the Southeast Asian nation, promising on Friday to stage weekly protests should he be sent to Kuala Lumpur as ambassador.
Analysts warn the appointment could test Malaysia’s diplomatic pragmatism, as it races to finalise a trade deal with Washington ahead of looming tariff deadlines.
The country has been in an uproar after Washington announced last week that Adams – who gained infamy for his love of US restaurant chain Hooters and is a self-declared “favourite author” of US President Donald Trump – was among five new ambassadorial picks up for confirmation by the US Senate.
Adams’ nomination raised concerns among diplomats and observers in Southeast Asia over the potential turmoil from the assignment, given his penchant for Islamophobic tirades and vocal support for Israel that grate on the decades-long support for Palestinians in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Youth leaders from parties under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan bloc say there is no reason for Malaysia to accept an envoy who has taken clear positions against the country’s official religion and defends Israel’s “genocide” on Palestinians in Gaza.
More than 58,000 people, mostly women and children, have so far been killed by air strikes and ground operations in Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, according to estimates by the enclave’s health ministry. The war was launched in retaliation to a deadly attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people.
“We hope this issue reaches President Trump … We Malaysians have dignity, President Trump. So please change the nomination of Nick Adams. We do not want him here,” said Mus’ab Muzahar of government party Amanah during a protest rally at the US embassy in the capital city.
Asked what they would do if Adams was appointed to the post, Mus’ab said “he will face us every week”.
The protesters later presented a memorandum to the embassy, demanding that the US select a more “moderate, professional” candidate to replace Adams, who they accused of being a divisive voice against Islam, Palestinians and women’s rights.
A naturalised American and former member of Australia’s Liberal Party who immigrated to the United States in 2012, Adams has regularly courted controversy with his misogynistic remarks and attacks on Islam, which included a claim that Trump’s opponents had sought to “teach Islam in schools”.
He once called US pop superstar Taylor Swift a “woke jezebel” and pushed a boycott of chocolate candy brand M&M’s over packaging that celebrated women.
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Malaysians were also infuriated by a social media post from last August, when Adams had claimed to have persuaded a restaurant owner to fire a waitress for wearing a “Free Palestine” pin, boasting that he “won’t tolerate being served by those who support terror”.
Analysts, however, caution that it may not be in Malaysia’s interests to actively push back against Adams’ nomination, especially given Trump’s apparent preference to put loyalists in positions that would reflect his style of governance.
Malaysia has the right under international law to reject the nomination of an incoming ambassador, but it could end up exposing the country to the ire of “an incredibly thin-skinned and punitive US president” and his entire Make America Great Again movement, according to analyst Shahriman Lockman.
“We’ll have to be practical and work with whoever the US sends. That’s how diplomacy works,” said Shahriman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.
“Those who say that the Malaysian foreign ministry should reject the nomination are doing so from the comforts of being outside government. It’s the privilege of irresponsibility.”
Malaysia is racing to secure a trade deal with the US ahead of the August 1 deadline set by Trump for his punitive tariffs to kick in, failing which nearly all exports will be slapped with a 25 per cent levy – a situation that economists have warned could crimp growth and upend vital shipments to the world’s largest consumer market.
