Trump nominates Wesley Hunt to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi; picks wife of 'God Bless the USA' singer as envoy to Barbados
President Donald Trump has nominated Wesley Hunt as the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Kimberly Greenwood as the Ambassador to Barbados. These nominations reflect the administration's strategic focus on Middle Eastern diplomacy and personal political alliances.
Why it matters
The appointments signal the administration's diplomatic priorities in the Middle East and the influence of political loyalty in executive branch staffing.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (September 14, 2026) also nominated outgoing U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, to serve as his top envoy to Riyadh.
Mr. Hunt is near the end of his second term representing his Houston-area district. He finished third in the March 2026 Texas Republican primary for the U.S. Senate behind Ken Paxton and John Cornyn.
If confirmed, Mr. Hunt will head to Riyadh a difficult moment in West Asia as the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran continues with no end in sight and as fighting between the Saudis and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen intensifies.
Before politics, Mr. Hunt was a U.S. Army officer who served as a diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Hunt in a posting on X said he understood "the strategic importance of the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the profound responsibility of this position."
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