Originally Posted by
Deech
The US Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad is leaving his position at the beginning of October. Curious that he would leave his position before the elections. Hopefully, it is not due to health reasons.
As with many Ambassadors, Mr. Branstad was not well known to many parts of America. He was a two term governor of Iowa. He was an early loyal supporter of Donald Trump. He also had some minimal ties to China, which was a key for him gaining this position (and a good choice). Unfortunately, being an Ambassador to China is similar to being an Ambassador to North Korea, the political spotlight was not going to be shining on you (and that is not a negative).
That first round of tariff slaps, first by the US and then retaliated by China, ultimately hurt some US manufacturers, but especially the farmers. No doubt, Mr. Branstad caught some heat from his home state. Give him credit, he persevered for a few more years. I just hope he did not age exponentially, due to stress, as most politicians.