US embassy clarifies Trump's nomination of Bozell as ambassador to SA
On Thursday, Trump posted on his Truth social account that Bozell would be the next ambassador to South Africa.
FILE: Leo Brent Bozell III during the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC on 2 March 2023. Picture: Zach D Roberts / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
CAPE TOWN - The United States embassy in Pretoria has moved to clarify President Donald Trump's nomination of Brent Bozell to serve as the country’s next ambassador to South Africa.
It said the nomination still needed to go through confirmatory processes by the US Senate before Bozell can officially be deemed the next incumbent.
Clarification on U.S. Ambassador Nomination Process
— US Embassy SA (@USEmbassySA) March 28, 2025
We’ve seen recent reports about a new U.S. Ambassador to South Africa and would like to clarify the process. Ambassador nominations follow a constitutional procedure involving U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations review… pic.twitter.com/DciAjRRcgf
On Thursday, Trump posted on his Truth social account that Bozell would be the next ambassador to South Africa.
Bozell is the founder of the Virginia-based Media Research Center, which considers itself to be a watchdog for fake news.
Earlier in March, Trump nominated Bozell to head the US Agency for Global Media to oversee government-owned media outlets.
But with the shutdown of operations such as Voice of America, he effectively put Bozell out of a job even before he'd started.
This week, he withdrew that nomination and replaced it with one for Bozell to serve as US ambassador to South Africa.
Former US Ambassador Reuben Brigety resigned last year.
On Thursday, Trump posted that Bozell would bring fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience and vast knowledge to a nation that he said desperately needed it.
On Friday, the Pretoria-based embassy said Bozell’s nomination still had to be reviewed and confirmed by the US Senate.
Bozell would thus not assume the role of ambassador or any official duties until these processes had been concluded.
This includes a review by the senate’s foreign relations committee, which may choose to hold a public hearing and then a vote by the full senate.
It's unclear when this nomination will be served before the committee.
In its statement, the embassy said that the US remained committed to constructive diplomatic engagement with South Africa and would continue to work together on shared priorities.