Trump nominates Wesley Hunt to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi; picks wife of ‘God Bless the USA’ singer as envoy to Barbados

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.”

Kimberly Greenwood nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, Eastern Caribbean

Mr. Trump also 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 (September 14, 2026), Kimberly Greenwood posted on Instagram a picture with her husband and Mr. 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 Mr. Trump’s favourite 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 USD 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 Mr. Trump for 18 years while the President owned the Miss Universe Organisation 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 Mr. 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.

The White House on Monday (September 14, 2026) also announced Mr. Trump’s nominees for vacant ambassadorial roles in Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti and Suriname.