Branstad appointment could bring historical twist to Iowa government

Branstad, who just three weeks ago at his 70th birthday party in Altoona, Iowa, told the Des Moines Register that he was “leaving the door open” in case Trump reached out about the job, has a particularly close relationship with China President Xi Jinping.

Trump has already signaled an aggressive posture toward China, bucking decades of USA foreign policy by taking a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan, and sending a series of bellicose tweets about currency devaluation and tariffs. But aside from trade missions to China, the courtly Midwesterner has little experience in foreign diplomacy.

Branstad, who is the longest-serving governor in USA history, has accepted the offer, Miller said.

Gov. Branstad has been my mentor and friend, devoting his life to advocating for Iowa.

Reynolds was on a vacation with her family this week when news broke that Trump had nominated Branstad to become the next ambassador to China.

Two days before winning the US presidential election, Donald Trump gave him an explicit endorsement, during a rally in Iowa. The governor said he expects to deliver a similar message to President-elect Trump. “(Branstad) would be a prime candidate to take care of China. “But you know my focus has always been here on Iowa and I want to serve the people of Iowa”.

President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly offered Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad the position of being U.S. ambassador to China, according to a Bloomberg report.

A Trump transition spokesman confirmed that Branstad had accepted the nomination.

Tsai’s conversation with Trump was the result of months of lobbying by Taiwan, The New York Times reported.

If named as the USA envoy, Branstad would find his years of warm discussions about selling Iowa corn and soybeans to China shift quickly to more complicated matters as Trump and his Chinese counterparts play their hands.

“It’s very clear that Governor Branstad is someone who’ll represent our country well on the world stage”, he said.

The two met again in recent years; in 2011 when Mr Branstad travelled to China and again in 2012 when Mr Xi stopped in Iowa during a state visit to the US.

In her statement, Reynolds lavished praise on Branstad, saying Trump’s nomination “speaks volumes about the character, talent and experience of Gov. Terry Branstad”.

His appointment also follows the precedent set by the current administration of picking prominent politicians, rather than career diplomats, as ambassador to the world’s largest country: Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Montana Sen.

Branstad, who campaigned with Trump in Iowa, met with the president-elect at Trump Tower Tuesday. His spokesman Ben Hammes said in an email that the day and time of the meeting with the Trump transition team is not confirmed.

Xi, then the vice president of China, accepted Branstad’s offer in 2012, attending a state dinner at the Iowa Capitol, visiting “old friends” from his initial visit and touring a massive farming operation.