US President Joe Biden has today nominated Caroline Kennedy as Ambassador to Australia, sending a powerful diplomatic message at a precarious time in global history.
The daughter of America’s 35th president John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, Caroline Kennedy is US political royalty and has long been considered a leading candidate for a high-profile envoy position after her vocal support of president Biden’s presidential campaign.
In a column for the Boston Globe, she wrote that Biden “radiated American optimism and generosity of spirit”. She added that Biden would be “a president who can bring people together” and someone “who knows how to get things done at home and abroad.”
In a statement, following the announcement of her Ambassadorship, Kennedy referred to Australia as “a country that is as vital to our future security and prosperity.”
Caroline Kennedy said that as ambassador to Australia she would work to “improve global health and increase vaccine access” https://t.co/Yg22RXUurB
— WSJ Politics (@WSJPolitics) December 15, 2021
“I look forward to collaborating with the government of Australia to strengthen our alliance, improve global health and increase vaccine access during this terrible pandemic and to address the urgent climate crisis. I am excited to get to know the Australian people, learn about their fascinating country and share with them what I love most about America.”
Her nomination is yet to be confirmed by the US Senate but this is expected to be a formality.
A longstanding asset of the Democrats, Kennedy was previously the first female US ambassador to Japan under Barack Obama, from 2010 to 2013, with the White House claiming “she advanced the realignment of US Forces in Okinawa, promoted women’s empowerment in Japan, and increased student exchange between the US and Japan”.
Kennedy is the only surviving child of the former president.