US President Donald Trump has suggested former Republican congressman David Brat be the new ambassador, a move welcomed by the Albanese government.
The White House announced the nomination in April after the post in Canberra had been left vacant for over a year by Caroline Kennedy.
“The Albanese government welcomes President Trump’s nomination of the next US ambassador to Australia,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
“We respect the US Senate’s confirmation process and look forward to seeing that take place. The United States is our closest ally, principal strategic partner and largest source of investment.”
David Brat is a Christian conservative from Virginia with a PhD in economics. The 61-year-old has served two terms in the US House of Representatives.
In 2014, he entered Congress as a member of the Freedom Caucus, which is considered to be the most conservative Republican Party. That same year, a Time magazine profile claimed David’s “core argument is that capitalism and Christianity should merge.”
David has also been a regular guest on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast. In 2022, he suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accept Russia’s demands following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Although David is yet to officially be appointed to the post, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will work with whoever is put forward.
“I’ll work with whoever is determined to be the ambassador. That is a decision for the United States,” Albanese said at a news conference.
“I understand that the President will put forward David Brat as ambassador, and there’s a process of confirmation that occurs through the US processes. We respect the sovereignty of countries to put forward ambassadors, just like we expect our choices to be endorsed.”
