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[SINGAPORE] US President Donald Trump has named entrepreneur Anji Sinha as his nominee for ambassador to Singapore.

In a Tuesday (Mar 11) post on Truth Social network, Trump wrote: “I am happy to announce that Dr Anji Sinha will be the next United States Ambassador to Singapore. Anji is a highly respected entrepreneur, with an incredible family! 

“The United States’ relationship with Singapore is vital, and I have no doubt that Anji will strongly represent our Nation’s Interests, and put America First. Congratulations Anji!”

Little appears to be known about Dr Sinha, who does not have a presence on websites or social media.

Dr Sinha’s nomination is one in a series of proposed appointments to ambassadorial posts that the US president announced via his social media app on Tuesday.

All the nominations are subject to the Senate’s confirmation and require a simple majority vote to be confirmed in the 100-member Senate, in which the Republicans have 53 senators.

During Trump’s first term, the role of envoy to Singapore remained vacant after the confirmation of his proposed candidate, former deputy national security adviser KT McFarland – whom Trump nominated in May 2017 – was stalled due to controversies surrounding her testimony over communications with Russia, which led her to withdraw her nomination in February 2018. 

The US embassy in Singapore was led by several charge d’affaires – deputies or lower ranked diplomats who substitute in the absence of an ambassador – for the rest of Trump’s first term. 

Some other picks for diplomatic posts in Asia include former Georgia senator David Perdue as ambassador to China; and George Glass, an Oregon businessman with a background in investment banking and real estate, as envoy to Japan.

If Trump’s nomination for Singapore envoy is confirmed, Dr Sinha will replace outgoing incumbent ambassador to Singapore, entrepreneur Jonathan Kaplan. He was appointed under the Biden administration and assumed the post in December 2021.