Overview:
Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Australia says Canberra is central to Washington’s strategy to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in critical minerals and regional security. During his Senate confirmation hearing, David Brat highlighted AUKUS, Pacific partnerships and defence co-operation as key priorities amid rising geopolitical tensions.
WASHINTON, 22 MAY 2026 (AFR)—Donald Trump’s pick to lead diplomatic efforts in Canberra says having a strong relationship with Australia gives the U.S an edge over China in the Indo-Pacific and is crucial to its attempts to break Beijing’s stranglehold on critical minerals processing.
David Brat told senators on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) that if confirmed in the role, his three priorities would be critical minerals, defence co-operation and partnership in the Indo-Pacific “amidst China’s unprecedented military build-up”.
“The U.S-Australia alliance is an essential pillar of regional stability and deterrence,” he said, noting in particular the need for the US and Australia to work together on critical infrastructure investments in the Pacific Islands.
“We can bolster the resilience of our regional partners to help to fight against the malign influence of our adversaries,” he said. “The United States is a Pacific nation, and our partnership with Australia maintains our edge in this vast strategic region.”
Brat, facing the Senate after Trump took more than 15 months to nominate an ambassador to Australia, revealed an appetite for some sports diplomacy, too.
“I’m a tennis fanatic; I follow your pros, the Open, and of course, the game of Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese,” he said. “I love the Australian people I have met in life, and I appreciate their decency, their wit, their sense of humour.”
His remarks highlight the ongoing tension between Australia’s security alliance with the U.S and its economic reliance on Beijing as a top commodities buyer, but they also reflect the more candid and hawkish .US view of China in Washington.
Although Trump’s attempts to stabilise the relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping have muddied that view somewhat, there is still a bipartisan determination in Congress to counter China’s clout in the region.
The U.S president even hinted he’d reconsider proposed arms sales to autonomously governed Taiwan after a visit to Beijing seeking help on the Iran impasse and concessions for U.S exporters.
Brat, a former economics professor, faced few difficult questions during his confirmation hearing in front of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and should have a smooth path to confirmation as Ambassador to Australia following a Senate vote.
The former Republican House member was part of the Tea Party wave elected to Congress in 2014, and served two terms pushing free-market economics and conservative ideals as part of the so-called Freedom Caucus.
He is seen as a loyal servant of Trump. This, along with his fast-tracked path through the confirmation process, suggests the U.S is prioritising Australia after a busy return to the White House that put a strain on the relationship through tariffs, demands on defence spending and presidential rebukes over the Iran war.
Democrat senators latched onto the delay in naming an ambassador and the Pentagon’s now-concluded review of the AUKUS submarine pact as evidence that the Trump administration had damaged the long-standing friendship.
“The administration’s prolonged review of AUKUS has created uncertainty that I think has merely been unnecessary at a critical time in the region,” said Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the committee.
“It took more than a year for the administration to nominate someone to this post, and I’m glad that they finally have. I’m delighted because it’s delays like this that weaken American credibility with our allies.”
Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the committee, used his opening remarks to urge Brat to help the Albanese government “counter the rise of antisemitism that we’ve seen in Australia”.
“If confirmed, you will oversee a historic transformation of our alliance with Australia as we step up our diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation through AUKUS and other initiatives,” Risch said.
“I hope you will also push our friends to fully implement their new investment screening and foreign influence laws to counter malign Chinese influence,” he said.
Brat acknowledged the clear bipartisan congressional support for AUKUS and for critical minerals co-operation, amid impatience with implementation delays in both.
He echoed Trump’s call for the United States to be “full steam ahead” on the submarine pact and new areas of high-tech co-operation under the so-called “pillar two” of the agreement.
Brat also warned of China’s dominance in the processing of 90 percent of the world’s critical minerals, which he said were “vital to every aspect of the economy”.
“I’m going to work on that, [it] will probably be one of my main priorities working with the mission and the embassy,” he said.
Kevin Rudd had a high profile and an awkward history with Donald Trump. Greg Moriarty will bring a quiet steadiness to the Ambassador role….PACNEWS