By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Twenty years ago, Nick Adams was a humble Ashfield deputy mayor calling for an extermination of pigeons to fight bird flu.
Now, the self-described “Alpha Male”, Florida man, Hooters enthusiast and diehard Donald Trump devotee has been hand-picked by the president to become the United States’ next ambassador to Malaysia.
A post from the account of Nick Adams.Credit: X
Adams’ bizarre appointment, announced on Thursday and sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for confirmation, marries two key pillars of the second Trump administration – a commitment to awarding even the crudest of loyalists, and treating once serious matters such as geopolitics as an utter piss-take.
The Alpha Male, who got his American citizenship in 2021, nine years after moving to the States, came into Trump’s orbit as an early, outspoken supporter of the president, establishing himself as a “thought leader” in the MAGA movement through his breathless social media commentary.
Some of that commentary is so unhinged that it led pundits to question whether Adams was a high-level troll, satirising the most grotesque of Trumpian culture warring.
“Eat a steak. Read the Bible. Pump some iron. Go to Hooters with the boys. Stay away from Starbucks. Stand with President Trump,” reads one exemplar tweet.
“It starts with Fortnite and boneless wings. It ends with gender pronouns and communism,” reads another.
Then there’s Adams’ lengthy boycott of confectionery manufacturer Mars after it released “feminist M&Ms”.
But Trump took the Alpha Male seriously, writing glowing forewords to a few of his books, appointing Adams to the board of the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington during his first term, and making him an official campaign surrogate during the 2024 election.
Now he’s off to Kuala Lumpur.
How Adams’ often lewd and sexually charged online persona is going to fly in Muslim-majority Malaysia is anyone’s guess. It will be interesting to see if diplomatic immunity gives the Alpha Male free rein to do as he pleases.
Jayne, set, match
Jayne Hrdlicka’s treasured time as chair of Tennis Australia will draw to a close at year’s end.
But there are still treats to be had – such as an invitation to attend Wimbledon centre court and sit in the royal box within the orbit of Queen Camilla. Hrdlicka ascended to that most hallowed hospitality ground on Wednesday.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s royal box is the most exclusive hospitality zone in global tennis, seating about 85 people, as this newspaper has reported. There are only two ways to get in: a) an invitation from the All England club’s chair, Debbie Jevans; or b) a royal bloodline.
Hrdlicka lucked in as Queen Camilla made an unexpected visit to the tournament and exchanged pleasantries with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, and sat next to Jevans in the royal box.
The hospitality enclosure attracted global headlines after cameras filmed actor Hugh Grant, who attended with his wife, Anna, dozing in his seat minutes after speaking to the Queen.
Another guest was Australia’s High Commissioner, Stephen Smith, who brought along Aled Miles, chief executive of digital company Intellistack, who once had Smith on his podcast as a guest.
Also present were ex-UK prime minister Sir John Major and wife Dame Norma as well as opera singer Sir Bryn and Lady Terfel.
Tennis Australia says grand slam chairs are traditionally invited to the royal box.
Back in October, CBD reported Hrdlicka’s third term on the board would finish at the end of this year. She starts as chief executive of pub and bottle-o group Endeavour in January, where she’ll earn a $2 million salary, with short-term and long-term incentives totalling $7 million.
Mate against mate
We’d rather not talk about the State of Origin decider, which saw an all-too-familiar Blues choke at the hands of those wicked creatures from the north.
High above the dismal action on the turf, the biggest game in town played out at Accor Stadium’s version of the royal box, where king of Sydney Peter V’landys (technically chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission and Racing NSW chief executive) sat beside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Or rather, Albanese sat next to V’landys.
Last year, Albo signed a deal to bring an NRL expansion team to Papua New Guinea in an act of footy diplomacy to counter Chinese influence that was the subject of furious lobbying by V’landys. PVL’s new Labor mate, Premier Chris Minns, was a notable absence from the box, the devout Doggies fan prioritising family over footy (huh?) and enjoying a holiday in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Queensland Liberal National man of the people Premier David Crisafulli Instagrammed the heck out of the event. Winners are grinners.
Back in the king’s court, federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley mingled with Liberal prime minister emeritus John Howard, still sporting that massive bruise on his eye we told you about months ago.
Ley was fresh from revelations she had once quoted the “I’m here with my skinny mate” line while waving a gun at a male bushie who lay down next to her outback sleeping bag – clearly not with the intent to discuss quota policies for female MPs.
News Corp boss Michael Miller stepped out with a huge new white beard, exuding Castaway and eccentric tech guru vibes.
One spectator happy about the result was former Queensland premier turned rugby league commissioner Peter Beattie, who along with his wife, Heather, was jumping for joy. Beattie now calls Balmain home, proving once again the truth of Paul Keating’s famous words that if you’re not living in Sydney, you’re camping out.
No matter which team the guests supported, all with a car were stuck in the car park for an hour afterwards. Leaving Homebush remains an experience almost as miserable as an Origin loss.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.