PM of Australia backs his envoy to US after Trump dispute
(MENAFN) Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly defended his ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, following a playful exchange with former US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting.
The incident occurred on Monday when Trump was asked about Rudd, a former Australian prime minister turned ambassador, who had previously posted critical tweets about the US president that were later deleted. Rudd acknowledged the tweets, prompting Trump to respond, “I don’t like you either,” which drew laughter in the room.
Albanese downplayed the comments as “banter,” dismissing calls from opposition leader Sussan Ley to remove Rudd, who she said was now “untenable” as ambassador. Rudd, who served as prime minister from 2007-2010 and briefly in 2013, was appointed to his four-year diplomatic posting in 2023.
In his earlier tweets, Rudd had described Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West,” with another post calling him a “village idiot.” Despite the past criticism, Trump reportedly reassured Rudd shortly after their exchange, saying “all is forgiven.”
Albanese praised Rudd’s contributions during a Friends of Australia breakfast with members of Congress, saying, “If there’s a harder working ambassador on The Hill, then please let me know, because Kevin works his guts out and he seems to know everyone.” Republican Michael McCaul echoed the sentiment, highlighting Rudd’s role in negotiations on the Aukus submarine deal and joking that he was glad Rudd remained “gainfully employed.”
Albanese credited Rudd with helping secure the success of his two-day US visit, which included the signing of an $8.5 billion rare earths deal, acknowledging Rudd’s efforts at a BHP anniversary event: “The success of this visit is down to your hard work.”
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