SINGAPORE: Dr Anjani Sinha, US President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Singapore, struggled with his responses during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday (Jul 9).

The session at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which included four other nominees for various positions, saw a Democratic senator probe Dr Sinha's knowledge about Singapore.

In his opening statement, Dr Sinha extended his"deep gratitude to President Trump for his nomination, and to Secretary Rubio for his support".

Dr Sinha said in his statement that Singapore is the US'"key strategic partner and friend" in the Indo-Pacific."Close cooperation with Singapore, along with our other allies and partners in the region, is more critical today than ever before."

"In Singapore, I will look to expand and deepen our defence and security cooperation, economic and trade relationship, and people-to-people ties," Dr Sinha said.

EXCHANGE WITH DUCKWORTH

Before starting her questions, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth told Dr Sinha that the ambassador role is not something to pick up on a"whim, or because you think it will be glamorous, or because Singapore is a great place to live".

She said that Dr Sinha was not particularly qualified for the role, adding that she was concerned about how his"lack of understanding may even inadvertently cause friction in our critical relationship".

Ms Duckworth then asked Dr Sinha:"How large was the US trade surplus with Singapore in 2024?"

Dr Sinha, who appeared nervous, said US$80 billion, before correcting the figure to US$18 billion.

The senator told him that it was actually US$2.8 billion and that he was"off by a huge factor".

She then asked how he would explain to"our friends in Singapore the president's threats to slap tariffs as high as 25 per cent on their country", given the US' trade surplus with country.

Singapore was hit with a tariff level of 10 per cent, the Trump administration announced in April.

Dr Sinha replied:"We are not walking away from any dialogue between the two countries and two leaders. If confirmed, I will make a personal (relationship) with the government of Singapore, and I will make sure the dialogue continues and we settle the issues of trade together."

When pressured by Ms Duckworth on whether he supported Mr Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Singapore, Dr Sinha did not directly respond.

He said he believes in Mr Trump's decision of a"free trade with any nation in the world", adding that the US president was"resetting the trade numbers with each country, and he's open for discussion and dialogue with these countries".

Dr Sinha was also unable to answer Ms Duckworth's question on when Singapore was next slated to hold the ASEAN chairmanship, with the senator telling him that the answer was"2027".

Ms Duckworth then proceeded to question Dr Sinha on what might be of critical importance to Singapore in its role as ASEAN chair.

Dr Sinha's answer was deemed too"broad" by Ms Duckworth.

She also lambasted Dr Sinha's answer to her question relating to the US Navy's work with Singapore.

"Can you name a specific thing, please. I'm trying to help you here, but you've not even done your homework, sir," she said.

"You want to be ambassador to Singapore, one of the most important alliance friends we have in the Indo-Pacific, a key place that we're going to be fighting against our greatest adversary in the region, the PRC," Ms Duckworth said.

She said that Singapore may feature incredible culture, but that should not be treated as a"glamour posting".

"This nation is too important to the United States, to ASEAN, to the entire region," she added.

"I just feel that you are not taking this seriously, and you think this is a glamour posting that you're going to live a nice life in Singapore."

Ms Duckworth previously questioned US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Mr Hegseth was unable to name countries in ASEAN when asked by Ms Duckworth.

Ms Duckworth is a Thai-American US military veteran who was born in Bangkok.

Earlier on in the nomination hearing, Dr Sinha was warmly introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Dr Sinha has been friends with Mr Trump for over a decade and Mr Graham himself has known him for years, the senator said.

Mr Graham said that Singapore has a very"vibrant medical community, a lot of medical tourism, biotech, medical innovation".

"All of this is right up his alley... He'll be a great spokesperson for our country and Singapore, and he knows the region and the issues," said Mr Graham.

Republican senator Pete Ricketts noted that he met with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing at the Shangri-La dialogue earlier this year.

When asked what areas he would prioritise to strengthen the US-Singapore partnership and deepen cooperation as ambassador, Dr Sinha said: “As you know, I am a physician, a surgeon, so I have been a long-time bridge builder 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 Singapore government. And obviously, I will do my best to increase... I will deepen the defence security and economic ties with Singapore.”

Mr Ricketts said that Dr Sinha would make “a good connection with the foreign minister there” as Dr Balakrishnan is also a physician.

Dr Sinha said: "Actually, him and I, we have so many things in common. He went to his school and became an eye surgeon. I went to his school and became an orthopaedic surgeon."

"His wife is a physician who became a neurologist. My wife is an anaesthesiologist. His kids are lawyers. Our kids are lawyers and doctors. So we have a strong connection already."

Mrs Balakrishnan co-founded the Mainly I Love Kids (MILK) Fund in 2004. According to the MILK website, she is an educator who devotes herself to full-time community service. She also served as the president of the Girl Guides Singapore from 2007 to 2015 and well as on the boards of the Compassion Fund and Beyond Social Services. 

CNA understands that Joy Balakrishnan is not a neurologist or a doctor.

In March, Trump named Dr Sinha as his nominee to be the country's ambassador to Singapore.

In a post on Truth Social then, Mr Trump said:"Anji is a highly respected entrepreneur, with an incredible family."

He added: "The United States’ relationship with Singapore is vital, and I have no doubt that Anji will strongly represent our nation’s interests and put America first." 

Dr Sinha is a surgeon on the East Coast specialising in orthopaedics and sports medicine.

The US State Department said he is an"accomplished entrepreneur, having built multiple thriving key-man practices with specialised teams across eight locations in New York, and has served as a senior surgical consultant in Florida".

Dr Sinha is a graduate of MGM Medical School and Delhi University in India, with a Masters of Orthopaedic Surgery.

An ambassador is nominated by the president, whose choice will then be reviewed by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. It may also hold hearings.

Once committee hearings are closed, most committees have a set amount of time before a vote is taken on whether the nominee is reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation.

If approved by the Senate Committee, the nomination proceeds to a vote by the full Senate.