Trump nominates former CKE Restaurants CEO Puzder as US ambassador to EU

By Kanishka Singh and Ryan Patrick Jones

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is nominating Andrew Puzder, a former CEO of CKE Restaurants, as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, a day after the new U.S. leader vowed to hit the EU with tariffs.

Puzder was nominated to be labor secretary during Trump's first administration but withdrew amid concerns he could not garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed.

Trump says the EU and other countries had troubling trade surpluses with the United States.

"The European Union is very, very bad to us," he said on Tuesday, repeating comments made Monday when he took office.

"So they're going to be in for tariffs. It's the only way ... you're going to get fairness."

Trump voiced his latest tariff threats in remarks to reporters at the White House after taking office without immediately imposing tariffs as he had promised during his campaign. Trump has also threatened tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China.

"Andy will do an excellent job representing our Nation’s interests in this important region," the president said while nominating Puzder as U.S. ambassador to the EU.

When nominated to be labor secretary during Trump's first administration, Puzder was at the center of a swirl of controversies, complaints and potential conflicts.

He had admitted in 2017 that he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper. He also faced a flurry of complaints and legal cases brought by workers against his business and its franchises.

He was CEO of CKE Restaurants, which franchised fast-food chains including Hardee's and Carl's Jr, from 2000 till 2017.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Michael Perry)