Washington DC - President Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to Singapore has been accused of being "unqualified" for the job after he repeatedly fumbled answers on the city-state during a Senate confirmation hearing.

Anjani Sinha, an orthopedic surgeon born in India, was berated by Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth during Wednesday's grilling in Washington and told to "shape up and do some homework" about Singapore.

Sinha struggled to answer Duckworth's questions about the key US ally, including bilateral defense ties, and when it would next chair the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to footage of the hearing.

"Please, I'm trying to help you here but you have not even done your homework, sir," Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, said at one point in their exchange.

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"You want to be ambassador to Singapore, one of the most important friends we have in the Indo-Pacific, a key place we're gonna be fighting against our greatest adversary in the region, the PRC (People's Republic of China)," she said.

A clearly exasperated Duckworth told Sinha that Singapore, one of Asia's wealthiest and safest nations, was not a "glamour" job.

"This nation is too important to the United States, to ASEAN, to the entire region, and frankly I think the mission is important to US interest and national security," she added.

Asked how big the US trade surplus was with Singapore in 2024, Sinha replied "80 billion dollar, 18 billion dollar."

The correct figure was $2.8 billion, Duckworth retorted as she told him he was "off by a huge factor."

The senator told Sinha he was "unqualified" for the posting and what the US needed was "someone who is actually going to do the work."

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The US State Department described Sinha on its website as a "preeminent surgeon on the East Coast specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine" and an "accomplished entrepreneur."

The hearing was held as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended an ASEAN meeting in Malaysia, where another Trump pick for ambassador was making headlines.

Right-wing commentator Nick Adams, a naturalized American citizen originally from Australia, has been nominated for US envoy to Malaysia.

Adams, who reportedly previously described himself as an "alpha male," thanked Trump on the social media platform X for the "honor of a lifetime... to represent the United States of America in Malaysia."