Washington: US President Donald Trump has appointed a former Republican congressman to be the US ambassador to Australia, 15 months after his presidency.
Trump appointed former Virginia representative and academic David Brat to the role on Monday (US time). According to protocol, the nominee must be confirmed by the US Senate before taking the job.
There has been no US ambassador in Canberra since then Caroline Kennedy left at the end of 2024, although it is not unusual for presidents to take time to appoint ambassadors to Australia.
A conservative Republican who was part of the Tea Party movement, Brat came to prominence in 2014 when he achieved what New York Times called “one of the biggest election upsets in congressional history”, defeating the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Eric Cantor, in the Virginia district.
He campaigned largely on the grounds that Cantor was not conservative enough on immigration.
More to come
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Michael Koziol is the North American correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, deputy editor of the Sun-Herald and federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect through X or email address.
