President Donald Trump’s nominee for a senior U.S. Department of State position, Jeremy Carl, withdrew from consideration on Tuesday following backlash over his remarks about Jewish people and comments related to white replacement theories.
In a statement posted on X, Carl, who had been nominated for the role of assistant secretary of state for international organizations, thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their support but said it was not enough to secure confirmation. “We also needed the unanimous support of every GOP Senator on the Committee on Foreign Relations, given the unanimous opposition of Senate Democrats to my candidacy, and unfortunately, at this time this unanimous support was not forthcoming,” he wrote.
The nomination faced challenges after Republican Senator John Curtis expressed doubts about Carl’s suitability, citing his “anti-Israel views” and “insensitive remarks” about Jewish people. Curtis’ refusal to endorse Carl marked a rare rebuke within the Republican-majority Senate, which generally supports the president’s nominees.
During his confirmation hearing in February, lawmakers questioned Carl about prior statements concerning Jewish people and his references to the “great replacement theory,” a debunked conspiracy associated with white supremacy alleging that Democratic immigration policies aim to replace white Americans with non-white immigrants. Carl stated that he did not recall making some of the controversial comments and expressed regret for others, including remarks that downplayed aspects of the Holocaust.
Carl currently serves as a senior fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute and previously held the position of deputy assistant secretary of the interior during Trump’s first term.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Carl’s withdrawal underscores the growing scrutiny nominees face over past statements and the rare instances of intra-party opposition impacting presidential appointments.