Trump State Dept Nominee Withdraws After ‘White Culture’ Comments

President Donald Trump’s nominee for a senior State Department post withdrew his candidacy Tuesday after mounting opposition from lawmakers threatened to derail his confirmation.

Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Jeremy Carl, Trump’s nominee to serve as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, of having “a long history of racist, white supremacist, and antisemitic views,” saying that these perspectives disqualify him from serving at the State Department. Carl withdrew from consideration following weeks of scrutiny over past remarks about white identity and American culture, even though he said the remarks he made had been misunderstood.

“I wanted to announce that I am withdrawing my nomination for consideration as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. I am tremendously grateful to President Trump for nominating me and then (upon expiration of my original nomination) renominating me for this role, and I am also grateful to Secretary Rubio and his team for their continued support throughout this long and time-consuming process,” Carl wrote.

This will be a bit more formal than usual, but I wanted to announce that I am withdrawing my nomination for consideration as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. I am tremendously grateful to President Trump for nominating me and then (upon… pic.twitter.com/S6nEamTZg4

— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) March 10, 2026

“Unfortunately, for senior positions such as this one, the support of the President and Secretary of State is very important but not sufficient. 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.”

Carl said his comments had been misunderstood, explaining that although he has occasionally referred to “white culture” in speeches and writings, his primary concern is preserving what he described as a shared American civic culture. He added that the term referred broadly to cultural traditions shared by most Americans prior to the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act and argued that people of all backgrounds can participate in and contribute to that culture.

Carl fired back at Schumer in a post on X. He accused the New York senator of condemning such rhetoric only when it can be used “as a cudgel to beat Republicans,” while failing to call out similar remarks from members of his own party. (RELATED: Trump Nominee Goes On Offense After Chuck Schumer Accuses Him Of ‘White Supremacy’)

“You appear to only disavow racism, antisemitism and racial supremacy if you think you can use those words as a cudgel to beat Republicans, which is why you haven’t denounced the anti-White racist comments of Texas Democrat House leader Gene Wu or Democrat Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Jasmine ‘The only people that are crying are the mediocre White boys’ Crockett,” Carl wrote.

The Senate grilled Carl in February over past remarks in which he warned about the erasure of “white culture” in the United States, comments that senators cited while questioning him during his confirmation hearing. Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy referenced those earlier statements directly, pressing Carl to explain what values he believed were disappearing and how “white culture” was being erased in America.

Carl said Murphy’s question misunderstood his views, explaining that although he has occasionally referred to “white culture” in speeches and writings, his primary concern is preserving what he described as a shared American civic culture. He added that the term referred broadly to cultural traditions shared by most Americans prior to the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act and argued that people of all backgrounds can participate in and contribute to that culture.

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