US President Donald Trump has appointed former Republican congressman David Brat as America’s next ambassador to Australia, filling a key diplomatic post that had been left vacant for more than 18 months.
The role was previously held by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former US President John F. Kennedy, who stepped down from the Canberra posting in December 2024.
Brat was confirmed by the US Senate on Friday (Saturday AEST) after months of delay, clearing the way for him to take up the ambassadorial position in Canberra, where he will be involved in high-level policy discussions and public diplomacy efforts.
During his confirmation hearing in May, the newly confirmed US ambassador set out the main priorities he intends to pursue in Australia.
Brat said his focus would include critical minerals and commercial diplomacy, closer defence cooperation, and strengthening the US-Australia partnership in the Indo-Pacific, following White House talks between Mr Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October last year.
‘Building on that historic summit, I see opportunities to advance our priorities in [these] three key areas,’ he told the hearing.
‘I also want to say a personal hello to Australia on this big day, if confirmed.
‘I love everything about your country. I’m a tennis fanatic. I follow your pros, the Open, and of course, the game of Prime Minister Albanese. I’m looking forward to sports diplomacy across the board.’
US President Donald Trump has named former Republican congressman David Brat (left) as his ambassador to Australia
Brat, who accidentally called Adelaide ‘Adeline’ during the hearing, said he wanted to study Australian mining and processing to ‘get that skill base going over here (the US)’.
He also said he wanted to grow defence relations and addressed trilateral submarine deal AUKUS, saying Australia makes the US ‘safer, stronger, and more prosperous’.
‘Amidst China’s unprecedented military buildup, the US-Australia alliance is an essential pillar of regional stability and deterrence,’ he said.
‘As the President has instructed, I would ensure the mission moves ‘full steam ahead’ on AUKUS and other alliance priorities.’
Brat also said that Australia is a ‘promising market for US companies’, before referencing last year’s removal of Australia’s restrictions on American beef.
‘Building on the Administration’s recent success in securing access for US beef, I would work to ensure a level playing field for all US companies,’ he said.
‘I would also be a steadfast champion of Australian investment into the United States, partnering with Australia’s superannuation funds to execute on plans to invest over a trillion dollars in the US in the next ten years.’
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Brat is a long-standing Trump ally, a loyalty which international politics expert Professor Mark Beeson said made him an ideal candidate for the diplomatic post.
Brat praised Anthony Albanese during a confirmation hearing in the US Senate in May
‘It is par for the course to pick people for their political ideas, their allegiances and loyalty,’ Professor Mark Beeson told the Daily Mail on Saturday.
‘They are going to promote an agenda in keeping with Trump’s geopolitical strategy so the decision is unsurprising.
‘But, whether Australia will derive any tangible benefits from [Brat’s plans] is a different question.’
Professor Beeson said Australia would be seen as ‘prime real estate’ for the US regarding minerals investment.
‘They (the US) are trying to get a trusted ally for minerals when they cannot trust others to do it,’ he said.
The appointment of Brat comes as the Pentagon announced at the same time that it will invest $US400million ($560million) to expand production at a mining project in central western New South Wales, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sunrise Energy Metals’ Syerston Scandium Project near Fifield, south-west of Dubbo, produces scandium, a rare critical mineral that manufacturers need for fighter jets, spacecraft and other arms.
While defence relations are already strong due to policies such as AUKUS, Professor Beeson added that Brat could further solidify economic ties.
‘If superannuation funds take the Trump administration up on those offers to pour funds into the US, it will further cement the US and Australian relations,’ Professor Beeson said.
A former economics professor, Brat entered US politics in June 2014 when he beat seven-term incumbent Eric Cantor in the Republican primary for Virginia’s seventh Congressional district.
He served two terms as ‘one of the most conservative lawmakers in Congress’, according to some US news sites, and supported bills restricting immigration and limiting restrictions on offshore oil and gas leases.
Brat was defeated in the 2018 ‘Blue wave’ midterm elections and became Dean of the School of Business at Liberty University in Virginia in January 2019.
He was later promoted to senior vice president of business relations at the university until his nomination as ambassador in April this year.
