Trump Taps Kimberly Greenwood as Ambassador to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Kimberly Greenwood, the wife of "God Bless the USA" singer Lee Greenwood, to serve as US ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

The nomination was included in a list of picks the administration sent to the Senate for confirmation. If approved, Greenwood would serve concurrently as ambassador to Barbados and, without additional pay, to St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Greenwood later posted a photograph on Instagram with her husband and the president, thanking Trump for the nomination. "Mr. President, thank you for believing in me and entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity to serve," she wrote.

Lee Greenwood is a longtime favorite of Trump, whose signature patriotic anthem has served as his walk-on song at political events for years. The two also went into business together selling a $59.99 "God Bless the USA Bible." In his own Instagram post, the singer said his wife had worked with Trump for 18 years while he owned the Miss Universe Organization and she directed state pageants.

The same role was previously held by Roger Nyhus, a Seattle business leader and Democratic donor selected by President Joe Biden, reflecting a long tradition in which presidents of both parties reward donors and key supporters with sought-after ambassadorships. Most such appointees have little impact on foreign policy, though some have caused presidential headaches. During Trump's first term, Gordon Sondland, a hotelier and $1 million inaugural contributor, served as chief envoy to the European Union before providing unflattering testimony during Trump's first impeachment and later being fired. Other donor-envoys drew controversy, including Jeffrey Ross Gunter in Iceland and Robert "Woody" Johnson in Britain.

Trump also nominated outgoing US Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, as his top envoy to Riyadh. Hunt is near the end of his second term representing a Houston-area district and finished third in the March 2026 Texas Republican Senate primary behind Ken Paxton and John Cornyn. If confirmed, he would arrive in Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing US and Israeli war against Iran and intensifying fighting between the Saudis and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Before entering politics, Hunt served as a US Army officer and diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia. In a post on X, he 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 nominees for vacant ambassadorial roles in Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti and Suriname.