Donald Trump names former Senator David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

U.S. President-elect Donald TrumpTrumpTrump said on Thursday (December 5, 2024) that he had selected former Senator David Perdue of Georgia to serve as his ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration's envoy to America's most potent economic and military adversary.

In a social media post, Mr. Trump said Mr. Perdue, a former CEO, “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Mr. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a 2022 primary against Georgia Governor Mr. Perdue pushed Mr. Trump’s debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia Governor.

During his time in the Senate, Mr. Perdue was labeled “anti-China” in a 2019 Chinese think tank report. The former Georgia lawmaker advocated that the U.S. needed to build a more robust naval force to cope with threats, including from China. Before launching his political career, Mr. Perdue held a string of top executive positions, including at Sara Lee, Reebok and the Dollar General.