U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Ambassador to Singapore, Anjani Sinha was grilled by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in a Senate confirmation hearing on Jul. 9.

In a of the hearing posted on Duckworth's YouTube channel, she criticised his apparent lack of knowledge about Singapore and called him not"particularly qualified for the role".

What happened

Senate confirmation hearings in the U.S. are held as a review of a president-nominated ambassador or other official candidates before a Senate panel, according to the United States Senate website.

The Senate then votes whether to confirm the president's appointment.

Historically, the vast majority of nominees are confirmed into their role, with a small number of exceptions.

Graham

Sinha's hearing before the Republican-held Senate saw him first being warmly introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said he had known Sinha for years.

Graham shared about Sinha's family background, having lost his father at a young age and assuming financial responsibility for his siblings.

Sinha then graduated medical school in India before immigrating to the U.S. and specialised in orthopaedic practice, eventually opening multiple practices in New York.

"He has deep ties to the Indo-Pacific region... he's positioned to relate to key stakeholders in the region," Graham said.

Citing Singapore's"vibrant medical community", he said Sinha, an orthopaedic and sports medicine surgeon would fit right in.

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

Duckworth

Sinha was then questioned and reviewed by the other members of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, including Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

On Ricketts' question about what he would prioritise to strengthen U.S.-Singapore relations, Sinha gave a broad answer.

"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 the Singapore government," he said.

However, things took a testier turn when Duckworth took the mic.

Among her opening lines, she told Sinha,"This is not a role you can just pick up on a whim or because you think it will be glamorous or because Singapore is a great place to live."

Duckworth, who was present at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, emphasised that the role of an ambassador is to"represent the United States everyday on the frontlines anticipating crises and providing invaluable expertise to prevent conflicts from exploding into catastrophes".

"I don't think you are particularly qualified for this role," she then added.

Understanding of Singapore

Duckworth said Sinha had a"lack of understanding" of Singapore, and expressed concern that his ignorance may even cause friction between both countries.

She then gave Sinha the opportunity to assuage her doubts, beginning with questions about the U.S. trade surplus in Singapore in 2024.

"80 billion dollars", Sinha said was the surplus, before immediately correcting it to"18 billion".

Duckworth pointed out that the right answer was US$2.8 billion (about S$3.6 billion), calling his answer"off by a huge factor".

She then questioned Sinha on his knowledge of Asean, starting with when Singapore is supposed to assume the chairmanship.

Sinha stated that he did not know the answer, after which Duckworth interrupted,"2027".

She went on to ask what being the Asean chair would entail for Singapore, repeating it a few more times when Sinha's answers were not satisfactory for her.

"Defence, economics", Sinha replied, adding"trade."

US naval presence in Singapore

Duckworth, unsatisfied, continue pressing Sinha with questions about the U.S. Navy's partnership with Singapore.

"We have a naval presence in Singapore, and we... our military... they always do exercise[s] with Singapore... they come here, the army of Singapore, they come here for the training as well. So we have a close tie with Singapore in defence," Sinha replied.

The tense interaction concluded with Duckworth slamming Sinha for"not even [doing his] homework".

She said:"Singapore may feature incredible culture, but that should not be treated as a glamour posting. This nation is too important to United States, to Asean, to the entire region."

She added that in her view, Sinha's nomination was"political" and that he was "unqualified".

She said this was not a partisan issue, having opposed"political picks" from her own party in the past.

She accused Sinha of"not taking this seriously" and for viewing the Singapore posting as "glamour".

"You are not currently prepared for this posting period, and you need to shape up and do some homework," Duckworth concluded.