The US Embassy in Kingston has confirmed that Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia was to return home for medical treatment Tuesday (November 10) after falling ill, raising questions as to whether Donald Trump’s representative on the island would be cutting his tenure short.

The embassy, in a statement, did not disclose the nature of Tapia’s condition but indicated that he would be seeking “non-life-threatening medical treatment”.

Tapia was reportedly rushed to the University Hospital of the West Indies Tuesday morning after he complained of feeling ill and presenting a nose bleed.

It was not immediately clear whether there was any timeline on his return to the island, but officials with experience in diplomatic circles have suggested he might not.

While noting that they had no direct knowledge of Tapia’s or the U.S. State Department’s plans, the officials pointed out that, with the Donald Trump administration now in its final days in office, the ambassador’s term would also likely be coming to an end.

Trump, who has yet to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden, is to demit office by midday January 20, barring the unlikely success of the lawsuits he has filed challenging the results of the November 3 U.S. presidential election.

Biden would then be primed to nominate a new ambassador to convey his own Democratic policy positions on relations between the two nations.

TAPIA’S NUMEROUS GAFFES

In addition, given Tapia’s numerous gaffes which have put him at odds with locals since his arrival in Jamaica, including an obsessive fixation on the country’s relationship with China and repeated threats of sanctions if ties continue to strengthen with the Asian giant, the officials suggested it might be time for him to call it a day.

Just recently, Tapia was forced to apologise for social media posts from his verified Twitter account, which the ambassador claimed were made by a social media manager he said would be “rotated” out of the island as a result.

The posts, which formed part of an extended back and forth with several Jamaican Twitter users, included personal attacks and insults hurled from the U.S. diplomat’s account.

The Jamaican Twitter users had been upset over Tapia’s warning of possible sanctions if Jamaica were to engage with China on the setting up of 5G network infrastructure in the island.

The 81-year-old envoy has been US ambassador to Jamaica since July 2019.