Trump nominates Kimberly Greenwood as ambassador to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean
US President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Kimberly Greenwood, wife of singer Lee Greenwood, to serve as the US ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Her name was part of a list of nominees sent by the administration to the US Senate for confirmation.
Trump also named outgoing US Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas as his choice for ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while the White House announced nominees for vacant ambassadorial posts in Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti and Suriname. The announcements came as part of a wider set of diplomatic appointments.
Later on Monday, Kimberly Greenwood posted a picture on Instagram with her husband and Trump, thanking the president for the nomination. “Mr. President, thank you for believing in me and entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity to serve,” she wrote.
Lee Greenwood, whose song “God Bless the USA” has been used by Trump for years as his walk-on music at political events, also praised his wife in an Instagram post. He said she had worked with Trump for 18 years when Trump owned the Miss Universe Organisation and Kimberly Greenwood directed state pageants. Trump and Lee Greenwood had also gone into business together to sell a USD 59.99 “God Bless the USA Bible”.
Kimberly Greenwood’s nomination requires Senate confirmation. If approved, she will serve at the same time as US ambassador to Barbados and, without additional compensation, as ambassador to St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Presidents from both parties have often given sought-after ambassadorial posts to donors and key supporters. Democratic President Joe Biden had chosen Roger Nyhus, a business leader from Seattle and a Democratic donor, for the same role to which Trump has now nominated Kimberly Greenwood. Most political appointees from the donor-and-supporter class have little impact on foreign policy, though at times they have caused problems for presidents.
Trump’s pick for Riyadh, Wesley Hunt, is nearing the end of his second term representing a Houston-area district. He finished third in the March 2026 Texas Republican primary for the US Senate, behind Ken Paxton and John Cornyn. If confirmed, he would take up the post at a difficult time in the Middle East, with the US and Israel’s war against Iran continuing and fighting between the Saudis and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen intensifying.
Before entering politics, Hunt served as a US Army officer and worked as a diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia. In a post on X, Hunt said he understood “the strategic importance of the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the profound responsibility of this position.”
The latest nominations also recalled some of Trump’s first-term ambassadorial appointments. They included hotelier and USD 1 million inaugural contributor Gordon Sondland, who served as chief envoy to the European Union and later gave unflattering testimony about Trump during his first impeachment over allegations that Trump sought help from Ukrainian authorities to undermine Biden before the 2020 election. Sondland was later fired by Trump.
Other first-term appointees also drew attention. Jeffrey Ross Gunter, a Trump donor who was posted to Iceland, drew criticism in Reykjavik over his request to hire armed bodyguards. In Britain, Ambassador Robert “Woody” Johnson faced accusations that he tried to steer the British Open towards a Trump resort in Scotland and made racist and sexist comments.
In all, Monday’s nominations covered a mix of political allies, supporters and current office-holders, with Kimberly Greenwood’s proposed posting to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and Hunt’s nomination to Saudi Arabia standing out among the latest diplomatic picks.
