President Trump on Monday nominated Kimberly Greenwood, wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood, to serve as ambassador to Barbados and several other Caribbean countries. Kimberly Greenwood’s nomination was sent to the Senate along with dozens of other nominations for judges, embassies and administrative officials. Dominica, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is common for a single person to simultaneously serve as ambassador to Barbados and several nearby Eastern Caribbean island nations, most of which are small and do not have their own separate U.S. diplomatic posts. Kimberly Greenwood thanked Mr. Trump in an Instagram post that included a photo of her with Lee Greenwood and the president, calling it “one of the greatest honors of my life.” “All nations I have the privilege of serving know how deeply America values their friendship,” he wrote. Lee Greenwood congratulated his wife on the nomination, writing in Lee Greenwood has been closely associated with Mr. Trump for much of the president’s political career. Trump has long used Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as his rally song, and in recent years, the country singer has performed the patriotic anthem live at certain Trump events. The president also worked with the artist to sell a line of Bibles. In an interview with Sean Hannity over the summer, Kimberly Greenwood said her professional relationship with the president predates that of her husband. A former Miss Tennessee, she worked with Trump for years in her capacity as former owner of the Miss Universe pageant. Kimberly Greenwood has directed the Miss Tennessee, Miss Mississippi and Miss Georgia competitions, according to a biography on the Miss Georgia website. “Kim has always approached every responsibility with a servant’s heart and a deep commitment to excellence,” Lee Greenwood wrote in Trump is far from the first president to tap political allies to serve as diplomats in some cases, but a Washington Post review last month found that the Trump administration has filled a larger-than-usual share of its ambassadorships with political supporters rather than career Foreign Service officials. Many positions remain unfilled. The president nominated former Trump-backed Senate candidates Herschel Walker of Georgia and Kari Lake of Arizona to serve as ambassadors to the Bahamas and Jamaica, respectively. Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, serves as ambassador to France and Monaco. And Kimberly Guilfoyle, a pro-Trump former Fox News host who previously dated the president’s eldest son, was chosen as ambassador to Greece. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press
