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The American political lobbyist Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, used to brag, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” With Donald Trump in the White House, Norquist’s dream of dismantling the US government may become a reality. 

American foreign aid, administered by the now-defunct US Agency for International Development, was an early casualty of the dramatic shift in US foreign policy. The State Department may be next on the chopping block. Word has been circulating in Washington that Trump plans to close 30 US embassies and consulates in a massive reorganization and retrenchment of America’s global presence. 

Many of the closures will be in Africa and the Middle East, but some will be in countries NATO considers strategically important. If Ukraine eventually falls to Vladimir Putin’s merciless attacks, Moldova, which has applied for membership in the European Union, is certain to be next on Putin’s list. For the moment, the country is in limbo, waiting for Washington to decide where it wants to go next. 

A Qualified Ambassador or a Tourist?

Kelly Adams-Smith, a career diplomat with the US Foreign Service, had been expected to fill the post as US ambassador to Moldova. She had previously worked in American diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Russia, and she had a deep understanding of the psychology and problems likely to impact countries formerly dominated by Russia, which are now facing Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reconstitute the former Soviet Empire. 

Unfortunately, Adams-Smith had two crucial strikes against her. The first was that she was nominated by the outgoing American president, Joe Biden. The second was that she had expressed support for Kamala Harris in the last US presidential election. 

That was, it seems, enough for Trump. 

If Trump’s support for Ukraine continues to be erratic and unpredictable, and if Putin finally manages to crush Ukraine, Moldova will almost certainly be his next target.

The fact that Adams-Smith is a career diplomat apparently didn’t carry much weight. At least 43.5 percent of Trump’s nominations for ambassadorships have been political appointees (the ratio for Biden was 35.1 percent). Presidents get to pick their ambassadors, but the primary concern in Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the next American ambassador, if there is one, may be far less qualified than Adams-Smith to understand the complex challenges Moldova now faces. 

If Trump’s support for Ukraine continues to be erratic and unpredictable, and if Putin finally manages to crush Ukraine, Moldova will almost certainly be his next target. Moldova has shown itself to be generally pro-American and supportive of Israel. Moldova has already applied for membership in the European Union, and NATO has enthusiastically approved its future membership, but none of that is worth much if Trump decides on isolationism and that the United States no longer really cares about Western Europe. 

What Moldova wants to avoid at all costs is an American ambassador who sees their posting to Moldova as nothing more than an opportunity for tourism. 

Fears about Trump’s next choice have been exacerbated by Romania’s experience with its new American ambassador to Bucharest, Darryl Nirenberg. Nirenberg’s qualifications include previously having served on the staff of conservative Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), who had come to be known as “Senator No” because of his vehement opposition to civil rights and foreign aid to countries he deemed unsupportive.

Nirenberg’s second claim to fame is an unsuccessful bid in 2021 to join the city council of Alexandria, VA, in which he promised to repair the city’s storm drains, which he claimed had become a colossal problem owing to climate change. The Trump administration may have intended Alexandria’s loss to be Romania’s gain. Romanian pundits in Bucharest were not amused. 

Moldova fears its next American ambassador may be even less qualified. 

The Back of Trump’s Hand

Relations with the US took a nosedive almost immediately after Trump’s inauguration, and the choice of an ambassador is seen as only the tip of the iceberg. Despite Moldova’s pro-American attitude, Trump slapped a 25 percent tariff on Moldova that put it in roughly the same category as Kazakhstan. 

The Moldovan public reacted with indignation, especially since Trump placed no tariffs at all on Belarus, which has aided Putin in his attacks on Ukraine. In contrast to Moldova, which has democratic elections, Belarus’s head of state, Aleksandr “Batka” (Father) Lukashenko, refused to acknowledge his loss in his country’s last elections and managed to cling to power despite the rejection by Belarus voters, thanks in large part to Moscow’s support.

While Trump apparently saw no problem in Belarus, he denounced Moldova in a speech at Mar-a-Lago, claiming Moldova was a state in which American resources and money were being wasted. 

While Trump apparently saw no problem in Belarus, he denounced Moldova in a speech at Mar-a-Lago, claiming Moldova was a state in which American resources and money were being wasted. 

An example, Trump said, was a $22 million grant to Moldova to strengthen the country’s electoral process and to improve “political inclusion,” concepts that have apparently fallen out of favor in the Trump administration. Trump then blocked further funding that was part of a $486 million USAID program. 

Trump later said, in a speech to Congress, that if he hadn’t acted, Moldova would have received $32 million for a “left-wing propaganda operation.” Trump was apparently confused over language differences. In Eastern Europe, the term “left” is associated with Russian propaganda, neo-Soviet, and Chinese influences, all of which Trump seems to have no problems with. 

In contrast, USAID and the Moldovan government have argued in favor of strong democratic values and a free market economy, both of which the US supported until the Trump administration assumed power. While Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have dropped the ball, Russia is dominating the Moldovan information ecosphere with a flood of social media messaging intended to sabotage legislative elections scheduled for the end of September. 

Moldova’s pro-American president, Maia Sandu, risks a parliamentary crisis that could dramatically reduce resistance to Moscow. WatchDog, an internet monitoring group in Moldova, counted more than 900 internet accounts coming from Russia that put out false information on platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, and Instagram. 

‘All the Good and Beautiful Things’

Politics are one thing, but Moldovans are especially proud of the high quality of their wine, which regularly wins top prizes in world competitions. In 2013, when Moldova associated itself with the European Union, primarily for trade purposes, Russia reacted strongly and imposed an embargo on Moldovan products, wine included. The embargo had a damaging effect on Moldova’s economy, leading to increased trade between Moldova and the US. 

Further attempts by Moldova to resist Russian political pressure and blackmail were significantly aided by the US stepping in and replacing Moldova’s lost markets in Russia. Moldova’s prime minister, Dorin Recean, summed up Moldova’s perception of the US and appreciation for American aid in a speech delivered some time ago: “We could stay here for a few days to list all the good and beautiful things done with the help of the United States.”

As Trump continues to mix his personal grievances with American foreign policy, all that may soon change. 

Earlier this year, the US quietly asked Moldova to withdraw its ambassador, Viorel Ursu, from Washington. Ursu’s offense? A political party with which he was associated had allegedly made comments critical of Trump. 

Worse, from Trump’s point of view, Ursu had once worked as a lawyer with George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, helping to coordinate pro-democratic policies in Eastern Europe and Moldova. Ursu had also allegedly participated in a protest supporting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the disastrous Oval Office meeting in February. 

No worse for wear, Ursu was reassigned as Moldova’s ambassador to Sweden. The Swedes apparently have no problem with democracy or an open society. 

Constantin Dicusar is a Moldova-based freelance journalist specializing in political developments in former Soviet republics. His articles have appeared in Moldova, Romania, the US, and Russia. He currently contributes to WhoWhatWhy and to Kasparov.ru.