Nicholas Adams

Nick Adams (born Nicholas Adamopoulos; September 5, 1984) is an Australian-American conservative political commentator, author, and diplomat. In 2026, Donald Trump created the new Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values position and tapped Adams for the position directly after dropping his nomination for United States Ambassador to Malaysia when Malaysian leader...

Nick Adams (born Nicholas Adamopoulos; September 5, 1984) is an Australian-American conservative political commentator, author, and diplomat. In 2026, Donald Trump created the new Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values position and tapped Adams for the position directly after dropping his nomination for United States Ambassador to Malaysia when Malaysian leaders across the political spectrum protested, describing Adams as an anti-Muslim agitator and provocateur. Adams has written many slim books, several of which have forewards written by prominent right-wing American politicians and media personalities. He came to public attention in 2017, when Donald Trump made favorable comments and tweets about his books Green Card Warrior and Retaking America, and in 2020 about his book Trump and Churchill. He is best known for his messaging of aggressively promoting Donald Trump and describing himself as an "alpha male." He has been labeled a "social media heavyweight", a "Trump-backed raconteur", and a "far-right culture warrior" for his conservative social media advocacy and aggressive persona. Prior to his rise to prominence in the MAGA movement, Adams was a motivational speaker best known for his promotion of civics education, American exceptionalism, and free market capitalism. Adams has been granted honorary resident status or received commendations from eleven states, including Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Nevada, Missouri, and Arizona. Early life and education Adams was born Nikolaos Adamopoulos in Sydney, Australia. His father was a Greek Australian math teacher named Andrew and his mother is a German Australian named Angelika who worked as a carer in a retirement home but now has a paid position as Secretary in Adams's non-profit organization. He was raised in a strict household with parental expectations of being successful, and his father never told him, "I love you". His father died in 2021 from COVID pneumonia. From 16 months of age until he was about 4 years old, Adams was treated for Stage IV neuroblastoma. An American doctor working in the emergency room of an Australian hospital recommended that he be tested for the cancer, which he credits in part for his love of the United States. Adams attended Trinity Grammar School, where he graduated valedictorian of his class. He took classes in television presenting and acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. At the University of Sydney, Adams earned a degree in journalism, and could not find work or even an internship in that field. He then trained to be a high school teacher, but was never called back for substitute teaching jobs. However, while attending university he was elected to be a councilman of his suburb in 2004, and deputy mayor in 2005. Life in Australia Adams was a municipal councilor from 2004–2012, and deputy mayor for the 2005–2006 term. In March 2004, Adams was 19 years old, living with his mother, and attending university. He also ran for a position on the Ashfield council as a Liberal (Australia's main conservative party). Ashfield no longer has an independent council, but when Adams was elected the council had four geographic wards and each ward elected three councilors. The municipality had a population of about 40,000 people and the North Ward had about 6,000 people enrolled to vote. Adams represented the North Ward, where he lived with his mother. The councilor position was a 4-year term, with the councilors voting on council policy, budgets, and services and representing the concerns of the people in their respective wards. In September 2005, the twelve councilors elected a mayor and deputy mayor to serve one-year terms. Adams was elected to the deputy mayor position, the youngest person to be elected to that position in Australia. Adams stated he wanted to be a councilor to improve economic growth for the area and privately expressed the goal of eventually becoming the Prime Minister of Australia. He put forward a motion to cull all the pigeons due to fears of the bird flu and suggested the town use DNA tests to identify dog owners who did not pick up their pets' feces. He was deputy mayor only for one year, as the councilors did not nominate him for the September 2006 election. Instead, in October of that year the councilors formally condemned him for "racking up thousands of dollars worth of phone calls and cab charges for personal benefit". Mark Drury, a former member of the council, said that if Adams "didn't have a stunt, he wouldn't turn up to meetings". In 2008, he ran for re-election to his councilor position. He no longer lived in the North Ward but a business owner named Adams as their nominated elector, which was a loophole that Adams exploited to stand for re-election. During his second term as councilor, he spoke out against multiculturalism and frequently missed meetings as he tried to become a motivational speaker in the United States. In 2009, when a journalist asked him about the absences, Adams responded with a tirade of expletives; as a result, the Liberal Party of Australia threatened to suspend Adams from the party for six months for conduct likely to "embarrass or cause damage to" the party. However, Adams claims he resigned from the party before he could be suspended, and he resigned from Australian politics in 2012. In 2010, Adams was the public relations consultant for a store that sold Halloween costumes. He devised "The Halloween Institute", a group of paid lingerie models who were purportedly demanding that Halloween become a public holiday in Australia. Immigration to the United States Adams met with an immigration lawyer in 2009 and then in the following years self-published two small books: America: The Greatest Good and Exceptional America. He met with an immigration lawyer again in 2011, and the following year he applied for a green card as an alien of extraordinary ability (EB-1A) (also called the "Einstein Visa"). Extraordinary ability usually is demonstrated through international acclaim in one's field such as being awarded a Nobel prize or Olympic medal, but the law and Kazarian v. USCIS define other pieces of evidence that can be considered, such as writing scholarly articles, being the subject of articles in major media, and maintaining a leading role in distinguished organizations. To bolster his application, he hit the speaking circuit and got letters of support from others (for example, then-Texas Governor Rick Perry named Adams an "honorary Texan" in 2013), sought legal advice about creating a nonprofit (Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness (FLAG)) to influence civics education in American schools, and began writing The American Boomerang, which was published in 2014 through an arm of WorldNetDaily (WND), a far-right website known for promoting conspiracy theories. In addition to extraordinary ability, the Einstein Visa process also evaluates the petitioner's ability to support themselves. Because it is not based on a job offer or employer sponsorship, immigration services look at a combination of factors to determine whether the petitioner will likely not depend on government assistance, such as age, health, family, education, assets, resources, and skills. Since an Einstein Visa is given to people with international acclaim, it is usually easy for these petitioners to show "evidence of support". However, during Adams's interview at the Consulate office, his bank statements and paying work history did not show sufficient evidence. They declined to issue Adams a visa, and immediately his father gave him $200,000 so he could petition for a further review with new proof of financial ability. A few months later, the consul recommended a revocation, as they did not believe Adams qualified for the Einstein Visa based on their interview, the documentation, and the original petition. According to Adams, after the rejection he no longer had any funds; he asked his lawyer to work for free, and scoured social media to find the accounts for the consulate worker who interviewed him. He uncovered the worker's sexual and political orientation, and from this Adams concluded that the worker delayed returning his passport during the extra review that Adams requested. Against legal advice to not enter the US with his visa application in review, Adams planned a book tour for his next book (Retaking America). After a 78-day book tour and meeting with several Republican elected officials, he returned to Australia. His visa was approved; he concluded: 'I had taken on the State Department under President Obama, and won' and decided the first action his nonprofit would take, would be to have the worker at the US Consulate in Sydney fired from their job. His green card petition was approved in July 2016. After the required five years of permanent residency, he became a naturalized US citizen in December 2021. Life in the United States Near the end of his first term in office, President Trump appointed Adams to a six-year term on the Board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a nonpartisan think tank focusing on global affairs. Some members of the center's staff found his presence on the board to be an "embarrassment" because of his misogyny. As of mid-2026, Adams remains a member of the Board, even as a March 2026 executive order drastically cut funding for the Center's staff and operations. Adams was a surrogate for Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. After Trump's loss, Adams promoted the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. During the Biden presidency, Adams frequently criticizing the Biden family outside the scope of policy and politics. Adams was again a surrogate and advisor for Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign. Adams, in conjunction with FLAG and former interns for Antonin Scalia, has produced and distributed kid-friendly versions of the American constitution that promote constitutional rights and originalism. US Ambassador-designate to Malaysia On July 9, 2025, Adams was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next US Ambassador to Malaysia. Adams' nomination was questioned by international media, including the South China Morning Post, which described the appointment as having "raised questions about Washington's commitment to continuity in its mission in Malaysia." The Post characterized US–Malaysia relations as in a challenging period amidst the Gaza War and trade tensions as a result of Trump's tariffs. Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Youth International Relations Bureau's Arief Izuadin expressed concern about Adams' nomination, citing his extremist background. Selangor Parti Islam SeMalaysia Youth Chief Mohamed Sukri Omar also made a statement advocating for Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take a firm stance against the nomination. Sukri also stated that "Nick Adams is not just a controversial figure. He openly spreads hatred towards Islam and supports the Zionist colonial regime without consideration...This appointment is an insult to the sensitivities of Malaysians. If the government remains silent or accepts this appointment, it will be seen as betraying the people's firm stance in supporting the Palestinian cause." Former Malaysian law minister Zaid Ibrahim and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin have criticized the appointment saying Malaysia "should not be treated as a dumping ground for ideological firebrands and partisan." Zaid also added that Adams' nomination "would not be a gesture of goodwill-it would be an insult." Former Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said of Adams, "it would be good to have a U.S. ambassador who is very close to Trump... but you cannot compromise on certain principles." The Sydney Morning Herald stated that Adams' appointment as ambassador "in Muslim-majority Malaysia has gone down, of course, like a lead balloon." It was a