WASHINGTON, United States, March 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump's nominee for a top State Department position withdrew Tuesday after outrage over his past comments accusing Jews and Blacks of having too much influence.

Jeremy Carl, a senior fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute whose main scholarly pursuits include criticizing immigration and multiculturalism, was tapped by Trump to be assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, in which he would have led US decision-making on the United Nations.

Carl acknowledged he did not have the support for confirmation from all senators of Trump's Republican Party in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which was needed due to universal opposition by the panel's rival Democrats.

"Unfortunately, at this time this unanimous support was not forthcoming," Carl wrote on X. He thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for supporting him, saying his nomination showed the administration was not pursuing "business as usual."

Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah considered a moderate, had declared his opposition.

"I find his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people unbecoming of the position for which he has been nominated," Curtis said.

Among past remarks cited by the Senate's top Democrat Chuck Schumer, Carl said that "Jews often love to play the victim" and said that resentment was to be expected as historically Jews "chose some professions that made them more oppressive."

He has also denounced the establishment of a federal holiday on June 19 for "Juneteenth," which commemorates the end of slavery, calling it a "race-hustling and white-shaming" occasion.

His withdrawal makes him a rare Trump nominee to fail to pass through the Senate, where Republicans have usually still confirmed picks about whom some lawmakers raised concerns such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Trump himself has been known for his loaded language on race, recently calling Somalis "garbage" after a major fraud scandal in Minnesota involving Somali-Americans.