Moment Trump's pick for Singapore ambassador awkwardly flubs simple questions about the country
The little-known Florida orthopedic surgeon appeared nervous as he navigated simple questions during his confirmation hearing.
Dr. Anji Sinha, didn't attract anywhere near the attention as Trump's high-profile nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is the ex-fiancee of Donald Trump, Jr. and also had her hearing Tuesday. Both shared the spotlight at four-way Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
Trump's statement nominating him revealed virtually nothing about his background, simply calling him 'a highly respected entrepreneur, with an incredible family!'
That only prompted online sleuths to try to uncover just who Trump had nominated for the important post inside China's desired sphere of influence.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) asked the nominee a straight-up question about what he would prioritize to strengthen the U.S.-Singapore partnership and deepen cooperation.
'As you know, I am a physician, a surgeon, so I have been a long-time bridge builder,' was his flowery response. 'And I believe strongly in a person-to-person connection. If confirmed, my first basis would be to go there and create a very good, strong relationship with the Singapore government.'
Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth tried to to probe his knowledge of the country in China 's periphery where he will represent U.S. interests.
She said she isn't opposed to political appointees, per se, pointing to fellow panel member Sen. Bill Hagerty, a successful former U.S. ambassador to China.
'You are not currently prepared for this posting, period. And you need to shape up and do some homework,' she lectured the physician, who sported a dark suit with wide pin-stripes and spoke in accented English.
'This is not a role you can just pick up on a whim or because you think it would be glamorous or because Singapore is a great place to live,' she stated.
'Frankly, I don't think you are particularly qualified for this role,' she told him, before giving him the chance to 'assuage my doubt.'
Duckworth hit the nominee with a series of questions, and said she was not impressed with his answers.
'How large was the U.S. trade surplus with Singapore in 2024?' she asked.
Eighteen billion was Sinha's answer.
Duckworth told him the correct answer was $2.8 billion, 'so you're off by a huge factor.'
She also tried to get him to say whether he agreed with Trump's move to slap a 10 percent tariff on Singapore despite the U.S. trade surplus with the country. Singapore wasn't one of 14 mostly Asian countries to get one of Trump's first batch of letters, but was expected to face that tariff despite the U.S. surplus.
He declined to criticize the president who nominated him and tried to punt, saying the dialogue was not closed – which may have been the smart move at a time when Trump was slapping a 50 percent tariff on copper and firing off trade letters to countries around the world.
'When is Singapore going to be the ASEAN chair,' she asked him. about the prominent group of southeast Asian nations, prompting him to say 'I don't know when.'
'Can you name one thing, a role that they would have to play as ASEAN chair,' she asked him.
'Can you name one thing that would be of critical importance to Singapore' as it chairs the multi-nation group, she asked.
'Defense, economics,' was Sinha's curt response.
'Those are very broad. Name an issue!' the Illinois lawmaker demanded he tell her.
'Trade,' he responded.
Then she tried to gauge his knowledge, or perhaps trip him up, with a question about how he envisioned strengthening the US Navy's work with Singapore and whether there are 'any facilities that come to mind that are central to our relationship with Singapore.'
'We have a naval presence in Singapore. Our military - they always do exercise with Singapore,' was about as detailed as he would get. That prompted an explosion from Duckworth.
'Can you name a specific thing, please? I'm trying to help you here, but you've not even done your homework, sir,' she scolded. She said the job 'should not be treated as a glamor posting.'
The questions came for a nominee about whom very little is known, and even less about any ties he may have to Singapore.
It took reporting from local Taiwan media to uncover that Sinha was even a medical doctor, and then establish he was most likely an orthopedist – something Sinha confirmed in his statement.
He said his wife is also a physician. Sinha has practiced medicine in Flushing, Queens, and Boca Raton, Florida.
A 2016 Bloomberg report identified him as being well known around Trump International Golf Club in West Palm beach, where the president plays when he is staying at nearby Mar-a-Lago.
'Who do you want to interview? I know everybody here,' he told a reporter. 'Boy, there are a lot of famous people. A lot of billionaires here.'
The edge Singapore reported Trump and Sinha have been friends since at least the early 2010s, and that he is either a member of Trump National or Mar-a-Lago.
The Daily Mail has asked the White House for any information on Sinha's club memberships and how Trump came to know him or know of him.
Sinha specializes in frozen shoulder and other musculoskeletal issues, the Straits Times reported in March after Trump announced the surprise nomination, at a time when it wasn't entirely clear he was even a medical doctor.
A campaign records search shows he gave only $4,500 to candidates or parties through official contributions, although 'dark money' contributions aren't disclosed. Some of the money went to Democrats, with only $1,500 going to Trump's campaign effort.
According to a certificate of competency posted by the State Department, Sinha is a 'preeminent surgeon on the East Coast specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine. He is an accomplished entrepreneur, having built multiple thriving key-man practices with specialized teams across eight locations in New York, and has served as a senior surgical consultant in Florida.'
'With native respect for both American and Asian values, and his deep social and cultural ties to the Indo-Pacific region, Dr. Sinha is uniquely positioned to relate to its key stakeholders,' it says. It says he is a graduate of the MGM Medical School and Delhi University in India, with a Masters of Orthopedic Surgery
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