Trump Nominates Kimberly Greenwood as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean
President Donald Trump has nominated Kimberly Greenwood, the wife of singer Lee Greenwood, to be the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Kimberly Greenwood expressed gratitude for the nomination on Instagram. Her husband, Lee Greenwood, is known for his patriotic anthem "God Bless the USA," which has been a favorite of Trump's. Kimberly Greenwood has a history of working with Trump during his ownership of the Miss Universe Organization.
Kimberly Greenwood's nomination includes serving as ambassador to Barbados and also to the Caribbean countries of St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Presidents often appoint donors and supporters to ambassadorial roles, which may not always have a significant impact on foreign policy. Trump also nominated outgoing U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, to be the top envoy to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hunt, a former U.S. Army officer, understands the strategic importance of the U.S.-Saudi Arabia partnership. The White House also announced nominees for vacant ambassadorial roles in Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti, and Suriname. Trump's previous appointees, such as Gordon Sondland and Jeffrey Ross Gunter, have faced controversies during their ambassadorial roles. Sondland provided testimony during Trump's first impeachment, while Gunter's request for armed bodyguards in Reykjavik, Iceland, raised eyebrows. Ambassador Robert "Woody" Johnson in Britain faced accusations of trying to influence the British Open and making inappropriate comments.