Who is Nick Adams, ‘alpha male’ Maga firebrand Trump picked to serve as ambassador to Malaysia?

US President Donald Trump has picked an ‘alpha male’ Maga firebrand to be the ambassador to Malaysia.

Trump has described right-wing commentator Nick Adams as an “incredible patriot and very successful entrepreneur, whose love of, and devotion to, our great country is an inspiration”.

He called Adams a ‘bestselling author, speaker, and commentator.’

Adams is a Sydney-born former councillor turned influencer who has often spoken of his love for the American restaurant chain ‘Hooters’.

Adams has now put up a video thanking Trump.

“Mr President, thank you for the honour of a lifetime. In your America, all dreams come true. It will be my honour to represent the United States of America in Malaysia”, Adams said.

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Adams, if confirmed by Congress, will replace Edgard Kagan – who was picked by ex-president Joe Biden.

But what do we know about Adams? Why is the choice causing a stir?

Who is Adams?

Adams is 40 years old.

He was born in Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in media and communications.

Adams in 2004 was elected as Liberal councillor from suburban Ashfield.

In 2005, he was elected as Australia’s youngest ever deputy mayor.

He was 21 at the time.

Adams proposed some extremely strange ideas during his time in office.

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This included exterminating pigeons in the area – ostensibly to get rid of swine flu – and using DNA to test the poop of dogs and find owners who refused to clean it up.

“Ashfield should be inhospitable to pigeons,” Adams was quoted as saying. “Avian influenza does not respect borders … I’m not an expert. I’m not an accountant. I’m certainly not a pest controller. Don’t ask me about procedure. What I would like to see is no pigeons in our area.”

Adams was threatened with suspension by Australia’s Liberal Party in 2009 after he was seen abusing a reporter.

The reporter from the news outlet Channel Ten had done a story about Adams’ repeated absence during council meetings.

The party at the time said his behaviour was “well below the standard expected of Liberal Party-endorsed councillors”.

However, Adams quit the party before it could make the move.

Adams is said to have had his own PR agency.

Adams moved to the US in 2012.

Adams explained his shift to a newspaper by saying “because I love guns, hot dogs, chicken fried steak, barbecue, cheerleaders, American football, small town parades, beauty pageants, pickup trucks, muscle cars and 16-lane freeways lined with supersized American flags”.

He has since founded the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness (Flag).

The organisation describes itself as ‘a non-profit dedicated to instilling conservative values in children’.

Adams became a US citizen in 2021.

He has written the book Green Card Warrior: My Quest for Legal Immigration in an Illegals’ System, which Trump has called a ‘must read’.

His other works include Retaking America: Crushing Political Correctness, Class Dismissed: Why College Isn’t the Answer, and The Most Dangerous President in History.

Adams has also founded the free speech NGO 1A Warriors.

He calls it “a non-profit organisation dedicated to securing, protecting, and preserving our beautiful and exceptional First Amendment”.

Trump also appointed Adams to the Woodrow Wilson Center think-tank.

Why is the choice causing a stir?

The choice of Adams to represent the US in Malaysia is causing discomfort among experts and diplomats familiar with the region.

Primarily because Adams has no experience in diplomacy.

He is best known as a Maga troll.

For example, he has dubbed pop star Taylor Swift as a ‘jezebel’.

He also once protested in Times Square in New York over M&M having an “all-female” candy package to celebrate women.

“Unfortunately today it’s more important to be a minority than a qualified person. The most persecuted group in the US is straight, white, Christian men”, Adams has claimed.

He is also a shameless self-promoter.

“I go to Hooters. I eat rare steaks. I lift extremely heavy weights. I read the Bible every night. I am pursued by copious amounts of women,” Adams boasted on social media.

He claimed that detractors “hate me because I have the body of a Greek God”.

The posting in Muslim-majority Malaysia is usually given to career diplomats.

Those with experience in diplomacy are thought to be able to handle the sensitive US business in Southeast Asia.

“It’s a surprising pick that favours political loyalists over those who actually fit the post,” a diplomat in Kuala Lumpur told This Week in Asia.

This also comes at an important time.

Malaysia has recently taken aim at the US’ policy in Gaza as well as the imposition of tariffs on trade partners.

“So the entire relationship is in a pretty negative state before we get to the question of who’s the ambassador,” Joshua Kurlantzick, a South-East Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told ABC.

Kurlantzick said the move would likely be viewed as a "slap in the face to Malaysia".

He added that Adams’ Adams’s “bombastic” style might be out completely of place.

“South-East Asian states, with the exception of the Philippines maybe, prefer to work out diplomatic matters … in as quiet and subtle a way as possible,” he said. “It’s potentially a problematic appointment. It shows that Trump doesn’t value the foreign service … it probably will not go down well in Malaysia.”

Many online lambasted Adams being chosen as the Ambassador to Malaysia.

“Imagine the Malaysian government finding out their ambassador from the US is Nick Adams”, one user wrote.

Multiple people on X even wrote that they thought Adams had been doing a parody this entire time.

Adams took to his Substack after the announcement.

He wrote, “Much of my adult life has been a story of giving back to the United States, the country I loved, the country that welcomed me first as a visitor, then as an entrepreneur, then as a citizen, and today, as an ambassador.”

“…Throughout my adult life, I have written books detailing my unending love affair with the United States, her Constitution, flag, people, and history.

“Now, the greatest president of all time, Donald J Trump, has bestowed upon me the honour of a lifetime.”

Adams isn’t the first Trump pick for ambassador to come under fire this week.

US Senator Tammy Duckworth earlier this week slammed Trump’s pick for Singapore Anjani Sinha.

“This is not a role you can just pick up on a whim, or because you think it will be glamorous, or because Singapore is a great place to live,” Duckworth told the orthopedic surgeon.

“You are not currently prepared for this posting, period. And you need to shape up and do some homework,” she added.

With inputs from agencies