New U.S. ambassador Hoekstra is against gay marriage, abortion
If the United States Senate approves Donald Trump's nomination of former Republican congressman Pete Hoekstra as new U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, he will be coming to The Hague in the fall. How Hoekstra will do in the Netherlands is the question - a number of his standpoints are contrary to the general feeling in the Netherlands, according to broadcaster NOS.
Hoekstra comes from a very conservative corner of the Republicans. He is active in the conservative Tea Party movement, he is against gay marriage and as congressman he always voted pro-life, or against anything abortion related. The 63-year-old Dutch-American politician is also a strong supporter of Trump's stance on immigration and is strongly in favor of Trump's entry ban for people from Muslim countries.
On the other hand, Hoekstra also worked hard to promote a good relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. In the House of Representatives, he established the 'Dutch Congressional Caucus', in which U.S. congressmen worked on all aspects of the relationship between the two countries - political, cultural and economical.
Hoekstra moved from Groningen to Michigan with his family at the age of three. "As he already came to America at a young age, his personal memories of the Netherlands are minimal, but he feels the cultural connection with our country really strongly", U.S. correspondent Wouter Zwart said to NOS. "Hoekstra combines rich political experience in America with a lifelong love for the Netherlands, because that is were his roots are."
