In a move that’s sure to raise eyebrows among the progressive crowd, President Trump has tapped Mora Namdar, a seasoned attorney and beauty salon chain owner, to helm a critical role in shaping who gets to enter the United States.
Namdar’s appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, announced on Monday, places her in charge of visa approvals, revocations, and passport issuance, aligning with Trump’s firm stance on tightening immigration controls.
This decision could directly impact the flow of foreign nationals entering the country, potentially affecting local job markets and placing additional financial burdens on public resources if oversight isn’t strict enough.
Namdar isn’t new to this arena, having previously served in this role on an interim basis under Trump in 2020, after working as a Senior Bureau Official in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs with a focus on Middle Eastern and North African diplomacy.
Before her government stints, she ran a law firm bearing her name in Dallas and Washington, D.C., while also owning Bam, a Texas-based chain of beauty salons specializing in blowouts across Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano.
Her salon venture, as she told DMagazine in 2017, was inspired by a vision for a “gorgeous place that treats the styling of women like a form of art”—a creative flair that critics might say doesn’t quite mesh with the gritty world of visa policy.
But let’s not dismiss her credentials so quickly; Namdar’s State Department bio touts her contributions to Trump’s Gaza peace plan and efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, showing she’s no stranger to high-stakes diplomacy.
Her hardline views, especially her sharp criticism of Biden’s negotiations with Iran, suggest she’s in lockstep with Trump’s no-nonsense approach to border security and foreign policy.
As she stated during her Senate confirmation hearing, “Anyone who undermines our foreign policy, [then] consular officers have the authority to revoke their visa”—a clear signal to those who think they can skirt the rules.
That quote alone likely explains why Namdar’s confirmation wasn’t a walk in the park, passing by a tight 53-43 margin with zero Democratic support and full Republican backing.
Her tenure has already drawn flak from liberals, with reports of infighting in the Middle East bureau during her earlier role, where Responsible Statecraft claimed she favored loyalists over seasoned diplomats.
A source griped to Responsible Statecraft that “if you're not inside her specific circle, you're truly left out,” alleging it “affected morale”—a charge that smells of sour grapes from those resistant to Trump’s agenda.
Yet, a State Department spokesperson countered that “Namdar has been elevating personnel who have proven that they have the merit, expertise, and experience to best implement President Trump’s agenda,” which sounds more like accountability than favoritism to many conservative ears.
Let’s not forget Namdar’s roots as a child of Iranian immigrants, a fact that adds depth to her fierce stance against the Iranian regime, which she’s labeled as committing “genocide” against its own people—a perspective that’s hardly “woke” but grounded in firsthand cultural insight.
