President Donald Trump has nominated one extremely undiplomatic diplomat, according to online reviews of surgeon Dr. Anjani Sinha that describe him as “aloof,” “very rude,” and “brutally mean.”
Trump’s nominee to become U.S. ambassador to Singapore, who also happens to be one of the president’s long-time golf buddies, was humiliated in the Senate Wednesday during a confirmation hearing that left one senator describing him as “unqualified” for the key role and suggesting he was only taking the job to have a “nice life.”
During Sinha’s ordeal on Capitol Hill, the 77-year-old was caught out by an embarrassing lack of knowledge about Singapore. He failed to answer a series of questions from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the city-state, prompting Illinois Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth to conclude: “You are not currently prepared for this posting—period—and you need to shape up and do some homework.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, a survey of reviews from people who know him much better are not much more favorable.
While nominating Trump donor Sinha, the president praised the orthopedic surgeon as a “highly respected entrepreneur” and “preeminent surgeon” whose “empathy for his patients and… willingness to relate to and connect with others” made him an ideal candidate for such a sensitive role.
That’s not what the reviews say.
The Florida surgeon has received multiple negative online reviews purportedly from his patients. On the RateMDs website, where Sinha is rated at 2.1 out of 5, one patient said: “My experience with Dr. Sinha was the most awful experience I have ever had in the medical buisness. He was rude and brutually mean.”
The September 2011 review continued: “He didnt listen to anything i had to say and concluded the visit with “Get out of my office!” & told the medical assistant to shred my file. i left the office with tears, and i did NOTHING wrong.
“Do not go to this man he is arrogant, rude, belittling, and highly unprofessional.”
Another review, from July 2015, described Sinha as a “very rude person” when dealing with their disability case. “He took over a practice from the doctor I had for a year and half. He walked into the room, told me he doesn’t do disability cases because there was to much paperwork involved, and he couldn’t be bother with it. He told me if I can walk and talk Im not disabled. He then walked out of the room and told me not to come back.”
A more recent review from May 2024 on JustDial, where Sinha has a 4* rating, said he was “aloof from patients.” Two reviews from patients, posted in 2016 and 2024 on the healthgrades site, in which Sinha has a 2.4* rating, claimed the consultant had “misdiagnosed” them.
However, some were more positive. One, written in May 2014 on RateMDs, said: “Great Dr. Excellent surgeon. Very knowledgable and always answered all questions.”
Despite the mixed reviews about Sinha’s bedside manner, the consultant surgeon has shown great aptitude making friends in powerful places.
Sinha has known Trump since at least 2012 through playing golf together in Florida. An article in the Palm Beach News from Jan. 18 that year, noted that Sinha—going under the name ‘Anji’—had taken part in a tournament at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, at which Trump was the inevitable winner.
A 2016 Bloomberg article described Sinha as a familiar fixture at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, the course President Trump frequents while staying at nearby Mar-a-Lago. “Who do you want to interview? I know everyone here,” he told the reporter, noting that “there are plenty of famous people—lots of billionaires.”
The Edge Singapore reports that Sinha is a member of either Trump National Golf Club or Mar-a-Lago.
Sinha was introduced to the Senate by Republican Lindsay Graham as “a friend of President Trump for over a decade.”
The Indian-born American has also donated under both of his names to Trump four times between 2016 and 2024—albeit just $7,300 in total, according to the political donations website Open Secrets.
However, Trump’s acolytes may be perturbed to learn that Sinha has donated more to the Democratic Party. When it was revealed that billionaire Jared Isaacman had committed a similar offense, he was yanked as Trump’s pick to run NASA, amid a “review of prior associations.”
The Democratic donations included handing $3,300 to Krystal Kaul’s failed 2024 attempt to run for the House of Representatives in Virginia, in which she pledged: “I will fight MAGA extremists who threaten our democracy.”
Sinha’s listed political donations total $19,600 for Democratic committees and candidates, including $1,000 to Hillary Clinton, versus $9,300 to Republicans—the majority of which were to Trump.
The Daily Beast has approached the White House and Sinha for comment.
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