New Zealand's largest newspaper reacts to Donald Trump's ambassador appointment: Scott Brown is "a former nude model who supports waterboarding"

The former Massachusetts senator is also known for being beaten by Elizabeth Warren in 2012

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published April 20, 2017 4:35PM (EDT)

This Jan. 20, 2010, file photo shows U.S. Sen.-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass., smiling as he addresses reporters during a news conference at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston. ((AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
This Jan. 20, 2010, file photo shows U.S. Sen.-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass., smiling as he addresses reporters during a news conference at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston. ((AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

One of the most widely circulated daily newspapers in New Zealand reported the news that President Donald Trump has tapped former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown to be America's next ambassador to New Zealand with a hilarious headline.

"Man tipped for US ambassador role in NZ a former nude model who supports waterboarding," The New Zealand Herald wrote on Thursday.

The last time the Massachusetts Republican made headlines, it was for daring Sen. Elizabeth Warren (the Democrat who defeated him in 2012) to take a DNA test in order to prove her Native American heritage. Brown was supporting Trump's presidential bid at that time.

That may change now, though.

"President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Scott Brown as Ambassador to New Zealand," said the White House in a press release on Thursday, according to a report by The Boston Globe. This would be a major boost for Brown's political career, which faltered after his 2012 loss to Warren was followed by a defeat in the 2014 New Hampshire Senate race to Democratic candidate Jeanne Shaheen. His most notable political success was defeating Democratic candidate Martha Coakley in the 2010 Senate special election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who had passed away the previous year.

During his 2014 race, Brown became something of a punchline for regularly featuring his truck in his campaign ads. This includes seven seconds of one 30-second spot (23 percent), seven seconds of a 42-second spot (16.7 percent), two seconds of a 56-second spot (3.6 percent), and six seconds of a 30-second spot (20 percent).

Brown is also famous for having appeared nude in a June 1982 issue of Cosmopolitan. As the winner of "Cosmo's 1st Male Centerfold Contest," Brown discussed being a 22-year-old law student at Boston College and described himself as "a bit of a patriot."

From the local coverage of the breaking news Thursday, it's apparently clear how New Zealand feels about Brown's appointment.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Donald Trump Elizabeth Warren New Zealand Scott Brown Video