Trump picks former fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder to be ambassador to EU

President Donald Trump has chosen Andrew Puzder to serve as ambassador to the European Union — a comeback for someone whose previous nomination to lead the Labor Department in 2017 was derailed by allegations of spousal abuse.

Trump praised Puzder as a “successful attorney, businessman, economic commentator, and author,” in announcing the nomination Wednesday in a Truth Social post.

Puzder was CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent of international restaurant chains Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s.

“During his 17 year tenure as CEO, Andy led the company out of serious financial difficulty, allowing it to survive, become financially secure, and grow. Andy will do an excellent job representing our Nation’s interests in this important region. Congratulations Andy!”

Puzder was Trump’s first choice to lead the Labor Department nearly eight years ago. However he withdrew from consideration in February of that year after POLITICO surfaced a 1990 taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in which Puzder’s ex-wife appeared in disguise as part of an episode on “High Class Battered Women.”

Puzder has consistently denied those allegations, and the woman — Lisa Fierstein — subsequently disavowed those claims as part of a child custody agreement and said they were a tactic pushed by her attorney during divorce negotiations with Puzder.

Still, the revelation, along with Puzder’s admission that he illegally employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper for several years, alienated a number of Senate Republicans behind the scenes and doomed his chances at the time. His nomination to represent the administration at the EU will likely rehash many of these issues, though the GOP to date has been more receptive of letting Trump stock his team with his preferred people.

Trump subsequently landed on Alexander Acosta to replace Puzder. Acosta’s tenure also ended in controversy due to renewed focus on his kid-glove treatment as a federal prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein.

Nevertheless, Puzder stayed in the periphery of Trump’s orbit during his first administration and joined the America First Policy Institute, which is stocked with MAGA acolytes and has played an influential role in the transition process, as a senior fellow.

Puzder has been a prominent Trump supporter and has penned a number of supportive op-eds in conservative publications throughout the 2024 campaign.

In the past, Trump’s immigration hawks like Stephen Miller — Trump’s the deputy chief of staff for policy — viewed Puzder skeptically due to his prior support for business-friendly immigration reforms, though that evidently did not stand in his way to being part of the president’s team this time around.

Puzder’s appointment is sure to outrage progressive groups, which previously criticized his selection for Labor secretary over a history of pay and safety violations at CKE-owned restaurants and franchisees, as well as Puzder’s opposition to raising the federal minimum wage.