Trump’s Top China Envoy to Leave Beijing for Campaign Trail
- Ambassador Branstad to retire in early October, embassy says
- Former Iowa governor to help in key swing state, Trump says
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The top U.S. diplomat in China, Terry Branstad, is retiring, the American Embassy confirmed Monday, after President Donald Trump touted the former Iowa governor’s expected campaign help in a key swing state.
The embassy’s statement resolved hours of uncertainty about Branstad’s status after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo thanked the envoy for his service in a series of tweets, without explicitly whether saying whether he was resigning. Branstad was planning to depart Beijing early next month and return to Iowa, the embassy said.