Trump nominee Jeremy Carl withdraws from State Department leadership role

Jeremy Carl, President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of state for international organizational affairs, withdrew his nomination Tuesday after facing bipartisan criticism over his past comments on race, religion and Israel.

Carl, a conservative commentator and senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, wrote on X that he lacked the unanimous Republican support needed to advance his nomination to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was nominated to the State Department post by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I am withdrawing my candidacy for the post of Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs,” he wrote Tuesday afternoon. “I am extremely grateful to President Trump for nominating me and then (upon the expiration of my original appointment) reappointing me to this role, and I am also grateful to Secretary Rubio and his team for their continued support throughout this long and tedious process.”

Republicans hold a 12-10 majority on the panel, meaning a single GOP defection would result in a tie vote and prevent the nomination from moving to the full Senate.

Jeremy Carl faced opposition from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee following previous remarks on race and Israel. (Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images via AFP)

MARCO RUBIO EMERGES AS A KEY PLAYER FOR TRUMP AFTER VENEZUELA OPERATION

“Unfortunately, at this time, this unanimous support has not been achieved,” Carl wrote, adding that he did not want the administration to “waste valuable time and energy” trying to change the outcome.

At his confirmation hearing last month, senators pressed Carl’s previous remarks regarding “white identity,” immigration and Israel. Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, later said Carl was not “the right person to represent our nation’s best interests in international forums,” citing what he described as anti-Israel views and insensitive comments about Jewish people.

Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, questioned Carl about his references to “white identity” and what he believed to be “erased.” Carl responded that he was concerned about the erosion of what he described as a majority American culture due to mass immigration, saying he stood by those comments. Murphy later called him a “legitimate white nationalist” on social media.

MIKE WALTZ SEES TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN “A ONLY GENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE”

Carl rejected the characterization, saying he was “not a white nationalist” and that his remarks referred to a widely shared American culture that people of all backgrounds could embrace.

“Unfortunately, for high positions like this, the support of the president and secretary of state is very important but not sufficient,” Carl added on

The position to which Carl was appointed oversees U.S. engagement at the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. He previously served as deputy secretary of the Interior during Trump’s first term.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I remain extremely confident in President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and the rest of State’s exceptional team (a group of leaders that includes many close friends),” Carl concluded on

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and State Department for comment and did not receive a response.

Reuters contributed to this report.