Washington's long wait ends with a Virginia consolation prize

Michael West Media · AAP · Tuesday 28 April 2026

Washington's long wait ends with a Virginia consolation prize

After fifteen months of vacancy, Trump has named a former Virginia congressman as ambassador to Canberra — a posting that reveals Australia's exact rank on the American foreign policy ladder.

Trump's sending us a former Virginia congressman, which tells you exactly where Australia sits on the Washington map — somewhere between Guam and the dry cleaning. The post sat empty for fifteen months and the considered solution was a man whose foreign policy CV reads like a high school civics paper. Metternich sent envoys; the Americans send leftovers.

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