BY MIRABEL ODETA
A nominee put forward by Donald Trump for a senior position at the U.S. State Department has withdrawn from consideration after facing criticism over past comments about Jewish people and views connected to the controversial “great replacement” theory. The decision marked a rare moment of resistance from within Trump’s own party during the confirmation process.
Jeremy Carl, who had been nominated to serve as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, announced Tuesday that he would step aside from the nomination process. In a message posted on the social media platform X, Carl expressed appreciation for the support he had received from Trump and from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but acknowledged that it was not enough to secure the unanimous Republican backing required to move his nomination forward.
Carl explained that in order for his nomination to advance through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, every Republican member of the panel would need to support him, especially since Democratic senators were united in opposing his confirmation. Without that full backing from Republican lawmakers, he said, continuing the nomination process was no longer viable.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plays a key role in confirming senior diplomatic appointments. Typically, nominees must first be approved by the committee before their names can be sent to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote. In Carl’s case, his chances had already appeared uncertain after one Republican member of the committee signaled strong reservations.
John Curtis, a Republican senator serving on the committee, indicated after Carl’s confirmation hearing earlier this year that he did not believe Carl was the appropriate candidate to represent the United States in international organizations. Curtis pointed to past remarks made by Carl that he described as insensitive toward Jewish people and critical of Israel, saying those statements raised serious concerns about Carl’s suitability for the role.
Opposition from within the Republican Party to a nominee put forward by Trump has been relatively uncommon in the current Congress. The Republican-majority Senate has largely supported Trump’s nominations and policy agenda, making the hesitation surrounding Carl’s nomination notable.
Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately issued comments following Carl’s decision to withdraw.
During his confirmation hearing in February, senators questioned Carl extensively about his past statements and writings. Some lawmakers raised concerns about comments attributed to him regarding Jewish people and his association with ideas linked to the so-called “great replacement theory.” This theory, widely rejected by scholars and policymakers, claims that political elites—sometimes described by proponents as left-leaning or Jewish—are intentionally encouraging immigration in order to change the ethnic and cultural makeup of Western societies.
When confronted with several of the comments during the hearing, Carl said he did not recall making some of the statements cited by senators. He also acknowledged that some of his past remarks were inappropriate and expressed regret for them. In particular, Carl admitted that comments he made in past interviews about minimizing the impact of the Holocaust were wrong and said he should not have made them.
Lawmakers also asked Carl directly whether he believed that there was an organized effort to replace white Americans with immigrants. In response, Carl said that while he did not frame it in those exact terms, he believed certain immigration policies supported by Democrats had “sent signs” suggesting such concerns to some people.
Before being nominated, Carl served as a senior fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute, where he focused on political and policy issues. Earlier in his career, he held a position in the federal government during Trump’s first administration, serving as a deputy assistant secretary at the Department of the Interior.
Carl’s withdrawal effectively ends his bid for the State Department role and leaves the administration with the task of selecting another nominee for the position responsible for coordinating U.S. engagement with international organizations. The development also highlights how past public statements and political views can become major obstacles during the Senate confirmation process, particularly for positions that involve representing the United States on the global stage.
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