Physician Dr Anjani Sinha, who made headlines in July over a viral video of his Senate confirmation hearing, has been confirmed as the US ambassador to Singapore.
According to Channel NewsAsia, the orthopaedic surgeon was among several nominees for various positions approved by a narrow 51-47 majority vote in the US Senate yesterday.
The Senate also approved the appointment of Sergio Gor as envoy to India and Sean O’Neill for Thailand.
Sinha is a surgeon in the US East Coast specialising in orthopaedics and sports medicine.
In the video of his Senate confirmation hearing, Sinha, US president Donald Trump‘s nominee for the post, was seen struggling to answer questions about the city-state and its ties to Washington.
He was pressed by Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois over issues such as trade with the US, and Singapore’s priorities when it assumes the chairmanship of Asean in 2027.
When asked about the size of the US trade surplus with Singapore in 2024, Sinha initially said it was US$80 billion, then quickly revised it to US$18 billion.
The actual surplus was US$2.8 billion, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Sinha’s responses prompted Duckworth to say: “I am trying to help you here but you have not even done your homework.”
She also said that Sinha was “not prepared for this posting”.
