Trump nominates wife of 'God Bless the USA' singer Lee Greenwood to serve as US ambassador

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday nominated the wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Kimberly Greenwood was among a list of nominees the Trump administration sent to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

Later Monday, Kimberly Greenwood posted on Instagram a picture with her husband and Trump as she thanked the president for the nomination.

“Mr. President, thank you for believing in me and entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity to serve,” she wrote.

Her husband, Lee Greenwood, is one of Trump's favorite singers, whose signature patriotic anthem has been his chosen walk-on song at political events for years. Trump even went into business with Lee Greenwood, selling a $59.99 "God Bless the USA Bible,” with him.

In his own Instagram post praising his wife and her nomination, Lee Greenwood said his wife had worked with Trump for 18 years while the president owned the Miss Universe Organization and Kimberly Greenwood directed state pageants.

Kimberly Greenwood's nomination, which must be confirmed by the Senate, calls for her to serve concurrently as U.S. ambassador to Barbados and, without additional compensation, as ambassador to the Caribbean countries of St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Presidents on both sides of the aisle have rewarded donors and key supporters with a significant slice of sought-after ambassadorships.

Democratic President Joe Biden selected prominent Seattle business leader and Democratic donor Roger Nyhus to serve in the same role for which Trump has nominated Kimberly Greenwood.

Most political appointees from the donor-and-supporter class have little impact on foreign policy. Occasionally, they have been the source of presidential headaches.

Trump on Monday also nominated outgoing U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, to serve as his top envoy to Riyadh.

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, Hunt will head to Riyadh a difficult moment in the Middle East 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, Hunt was a U.S. Army officer who served as a diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia.

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."

The White House on Monday also announced Trump’s nominees for vacant ambassadorial roles in Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti and Suriname.

During his first term, Trump’s appointees included hotelier and $1 million inaugural contributor Gordon Sondland, who served as chief envoy to the European Union. Sondland provided unflattering testimony about Trump during his first impeachment, which centered on allegations Trump sought help from Ukrainian authorities to undermine Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Sondland was later fired by Trump.

Trump donor-turned-envoy Jeffrey Ross Gunter left locals in relatively crime-free Reykjavik, Iceland, aghast over his request to hire armed bodyguards.

In Britain, Ambassador Robert “Woody” Johnson faced accusations he tried to steer golf’s British Open toward a Trump resort in Scotland and made racist and sexist comments.