By Kanishka Singh and Ryan Patrick Jones
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was naming Andrew Puzder, the former CEO of CKE Restaurants, as his pick for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, a day after the new U.S. leader vowed to hit the EU with tariffs.
Puzder was nominated to be secretary of labor during the first Trump administration, but withdrew due to concerns that he would not be able to muster enough Senate votes to be confirmed.
Trump says the EU and other countries have run a worrying trade surplus with the United States.
“The European Union is very, very bad to us,” he said on Tuesday, repeating comments he made on Monday when he took office.
“So they’re going to be included in the tariffs. That’s the only way … you’re going to get fairness.”
Trump made his latest threats of tariffs in a White House press conference after taking office without immediately imposing tariffs as he had promised during his campaign. Trump has also threatened tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
“Andy will do an excellent job representing our nation’s interests in this important region,” the president said in nominating Puzder as US ambassador to the EU.
When he was nominated to be secretary of labor during Trump’s first administration, Puzder was at the center of a whirlwind of controversy, complaints and potential conflicts.
In 2017, he admitted that he and his wife hired an undocumented person as a housekeeper. He also faced a series of complaints and legal cases brought by workers against his company and franchises.
From 2000 to 2017, he was the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which was a franchise of fast food chains, including Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.
