Biden Nominates Kennedy's Daughter as Ambassador to Australia

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] On the 23rd (local time), CNN reported that U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Caroline Kennedy, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Barack Obama administration, as ambassador to Australia.

CNN cited three sources and explained that this reflects the Biden administration's intention to prioritize the Pacific region to counter China.

Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, expressed support during last year's presidential election and also appeared as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention that confirmed Biden as the presidential candidate.

Australia is a member of the U.S. intelligence alliance "Five Eyes" and part of the unofficial cooperative group "Quad," which the U.S. formed with Japan and India for cooperation against China.

If Caroline Kennedy is selected, her experience as ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017 during the Obama administration, and her familiarity with Indo-Pacific regional issues, are believed to be key factors.

Foreign media interpreted this appointment as influenced by the special relationship between President Biden and the Kennedy family.

President Biden, in his youth, nurtured his political dreams watching the election of John F. Kennedy, who, like him, was an Irish Catholic. Among U.S. presidents, only Kennedy and Biden have been Catholic.

It is said that encouragement from Ted Kennedy, the late younger brother of President Kennedy who passed away in 2009 and a former senator, was also a driving force for Biden to continue his political career.

When Biden was elected senator in 1972, he lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. When he was so heartbroken that he considered quitting politics and did not appear for the swearing-in ceremony, Ted Kennedy sent congressional officials to the hospital to help him take the oath.

Biden later recalled that when they met in Congress, Ted Kennedy treated him like a younger brother.

President Biden previously nominated Victoria Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s widow, as ambassador to Austria.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.