President Donald Trump’s ambassador-nominee to Singapore, Dr Anjani Sinha, struggled to defend America’s tariff policies during an unexpectedly tough Senate confirmation hearing.
The two-hour-long hearing on July 9, which featured four other hopeful nominees, kicked off cordially with an opening statement by Dr Sinha but turned into a testy back-and-forth with Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth when it came to question time.
As Mr Sinha struggled to answer questions about the island-state, Ms Duckworth said: “Frankly, I don’t think you are particularly qualified for this role, and I’m concerned about how your lack of understanding may even inadvertently cause friction in our critical relationship. Will you even be able to effectively lead our mission in Singapore? I have my doubts.”
She challenged Dr Sinha on how large the US trade surplus with Singapore was in 2024. When he faltered, mentioning US$18 billion (S$23 billion), she pointed out that it was US$2.8 billion, before telling him that he was “off by a huge factor”.
Until Ms Duckworth’s questioning, Dr Sinha had faced a friendly audience at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In his four-minute opening remarks, Dr Sinha, who is in his 70s, called Singapore a “key strategic partner and a friend in the Indo-Pacific”.
The Straits Times
