A nominee for a senior role at the U.S. State Department has withdrawn from consideration after controversy over past comments on race, religion, and politics complicated his path to confirmation in the Senate.
Jeremy Carl, a conservative commentator and senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, stepped aside from his nomination to become Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. The position oversees U.S. engagement with the United Nations and other multilateral institutions.
Carl had been nominated by President Donald Trump for the diplomatic post earlier this year. The role would have placed him in charge of shaping U.S. policy toward international organizations and supervising dozens of diplomatic missions related to global institutions such as the United Nations.
Carl confirmed the decision in a public statement announcing his withdrawal from the nomination process.
“I am withdrawing my nomination for consideration as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs,” Carl wrote in a statement posted online.
His nomination faced increasing scrutiny during the Senate confirmation process after previously published statements and social-media posts resurfaced. Critics pointed to comments referencing race, immigration, and political opponents, including posts tied to the “great replacement” theory — a widely discredited conspiracy theory associated with white nationalist ideology.
Some of Carl’s earlier online remarks also drew criticism for language about political rivals and public figures. Among them were posts describing the Democratic Party as the “treason party” and comments about the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
The controversy translated into resistance on Capitol Hill. While Senate Democrats were already opposed to the nomination, Carl also lost the backing of at least one Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, making it unlikely that his nomination could advance.
Senator John Curtis of Utah publicly announced he would not support Carl’s nomination after reviewing the nominee’s past statements and testimony during the confirmation hearing.
“I find his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people unbecoming of the position,” Curtis said in a statement following the hearing
With Democrats already opposed, Carl acknowledged that losing even a single Republican vote would make confirmation nearly impossible.
“We also needed the unanimous support of every GOP senator on the committee,” Carl wrote. “Unfortunately, at this time this unanimous support was not forthcoming.”
Despite stepping aside, Carl thanked both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for supporting his nomination during the confirmation process. Carl previously served in the first Trump administration as deputy assistant secretary of the Interior and later became a fellow at the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank that focuses on constitutional and political theory.
This will be a bit more formal than usual, but I wanted to announce that I am withdrawing my nomination for consideration as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. I am tremendously grateful to President Trump for nominating me and then (upon… pic.twitter.com/S6nEamTZg4
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) March 10, 2026
The episode marks an uncommon setback for a Trump nominee during a period when the administration has generally maintained strong support among Senate Republicans.
Nominees for diplomatic and policy roles often face scrutiny over past writings, speeches, and social-media activity during Senate confirmation hearings. In Carl’s case, those statements became a central focus of questioning from lawmakers and outside advocacy groups during the confirmation process. Carl acknowledged that some of his previous comments were inappropriate.
“I made some comments… about minimizing the effects of the Holocaust that were absolutely wrong,” he said when questioned by senators.
The Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs is responsible for coordinating U.S. participation in institutions such as the United Nations and other international bodies, making it one of the State Department’s key multilateral diplomacy roles.
Carl’s withdrawal leaves the administration needing to identify another candidate to fill the position as the confirmation process resets.
Featured image by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
