Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had appointed Andrew Puzder, a former boss of the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. fast-food chains, as United States ambassador to the European Union.
“Andy is a lawyer, businessman, economic commentator, and best-selling author,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform.
“In 2000, he was named general manager of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of the international restaurant chains Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s. During his 17-year tenure as CEO, Andy led the company out of serious financial difficulties, allowing it to survive,” he added.
Donald Trump has a notoriously difficult relationship with the European Union. “The EU is very bad for us. They treat us very badly. They don’t take our cars or our agricultural products. In fact, they don’t take much,” he said again on Tuesday, adding: “so they are good for customs duties.”
During his presidential campaign, the Republican had already denounced the United States’ trade deficit with the EU, comparing the Twenty-Seven to “a little China”, which “benefits” from the world’s leading economic power.
-In 2017, at the start of Donald Trump’s first term, Andrew Puzder was appointed Minister of Labor. But he was forced to step down before even taking office after being caught up in several cases.
He thus admitted to having employed an illegal cleaning lady under the table for several years. His ex-wife had also accused him of domestic violence, before, however, walking back his comments.
During his career as a lawyer in Missouri, Andrew Puzder was also a figure in the movement against abortion rights.
His nomination will need to be confirmed by the US Senate.
