AdvertisementAnalysis WorldNorth AmericaForeign relations He was a canary in the coalmine for Trumpism. Now he’s heading to Canberra Michael Koziol Updated August 8, 2026 — 12:24pm ,first published August 8, 2026 — 5:25am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Getty Images As ambassador, Brat will have to navigate key matters in the US-Australia alliance, including the AUKUS defence pact, critical minerals and Australia’s treatment of the America-dominated tech industry. Before his nomination as ambassador, Brat was a regular guest and fill-in host on Steve Bannon’s influential MAGA podcast, War Room. But his moment in the sun, right before the rise of Trumpism, made him a hero to his Republican fellow travellers.