Washington: Nick Adams, the Australian-born MAGA influencer who Donald Trump dumped as ambassador to Malaysia, has been quietly appointed as the president’s special envoy for “American tourism, exceptionalism and values”.
Adams, who grew up in Sydney and became a controversial Liberal councillor in the inner west, was nominated by Trump last July to be US ambassador to Kuala Lumpur. However, he was never confirmed by the US Senate, and his nomination lapsed at the end of the year.
This masthead revealed last month that Adams had been dropped. At the time, he said he would be “promoted” to a new role, but would not say what it was.
Adams’ biography on the US State Department website has now been updated to reflect his appointment as a senior adviser and the “special presidential envoy for American tourism, exceptionalism and values”. The appointment took effect on March 17, and it appears to be a new position.
According to the State Department, Adams has “skills and accomplishments over the years as a political commentator, policy author, and educator” that will position him well for the role.
Adams describes himself as an American entrepreneur, cultural thought leader and best-selling author. Trump has praised his 2025 book: From Mar-a-Lago to MARS: President Trump’s Great American Comeback.
In addition to speaking engagements, he runs a Florida-based organisation called Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, which produces patriotic resources for schoolchildren.
But Adams gained notoriety on social media as a diehard Trump supporter, with his Twitter/X page consisting almost solely of posts deifying the president.
He branded himself as an “alpha male” who embodied traditional masculinity, while railing against feminism, pronouns and drag shows, among other things.
Adams also posted frequently about his love of the restaurant chain Hooters, where customers are served by women in skimpy outfits.
“I go to Hooters because I like my cold domestic beers served to me by hot women,” Adams said in 2023. “I’m not going to apologise for it. I will not be shamed for it. I deserve to be praised for it. I am an alpha male and I’m not backing down. Miller Lite can get bent!”
In a social media video, Adams stomped on a packet of M&Ms chocolates in Times Square after the manufacturer, Mars, announced packaging that depicted female M&Ms.
“Feminist M&Ms … It is outrageous, it is disgusting, and it must not stand,” he said in the video. “Any male that buys a packet of M&Ms from today forward must hand in their man card because they are a soft, woke, beat-up male feminist who has serious, serious problems.”
But Adams’ outlandish positions and his disparaging remarks about Islam caused consternation in Muslim-majority Malaysia. News that he had been dumped as ambassador-designate was broadly welcomed there.
“Mr Adams lacked experience or understanding of Malaysia, and his toxic politics would have worsened ties,” political analyst Bridget Welsh, of the University of Nottingham Malaysia, told The Straits Times last month.
Adams’ new position does not appear to have been announced by the White House or the State Department. Both were contacted for comment. The White House referred to the State Department’s webpage for Adams.
Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has yet to nominate an ambassador to Australia, despite being back in power for 14 months. When questioned by this masthead in October, Trump said he had one or two people in mind, but wanted to appoint somebody Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would like.
“Here’s the good news, everybody wants to be ambassador to Australia,” Trump said at the time.
This month, he has nominated ambassadors to Guatemala and the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency and the Vienna Office of the United Nations.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.