Australian Prime Minister Defends Ambassador Rudd Following Tense Exchange with President Trump

Donald Trump and Kevin Rudd engaged in a face-to-face meeting across the cabinet table at the White House.

Sydney:

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended Ambassador Kevin Rudd, describing him as doing a "fantastic job" in Washington, while characterizing US President Donald Trump's comments about not liking Rudd as merely "light-hearted."

Australia's conservative opposition has demanded Rudd's dismissal following Trump's remarks during a Washington press briefing on Monday. When questioned by an Australian journalist about Rudd's previous social media criticism, and informed that Rudd was present at the table, Trump responded: "I don't like you either, and I probably never will."

According to Albanese, Trump later told Rudd that "all is forgiven."

"It was pretty light-hearted, was what it was," Albanese explained during a television interview with Australian broadcaster Nine in Washington on Tuesday.

"Kevin said, 'Oh, sorry about comments in the past', and they moved on," he added.

Albanese, who previously served as Rudd's deputy, praised the ambassador's efforts in building Congressional support for the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement and in preparing for the first summit with Trump, which Australia has deemed successful.

"Kevin Rudd is doing a fantastic job as the ambassador," Albanese told reporters in Washington.

In 2020, Rudd called Trump "the most destructive president in history," a comment he later removed from social media after his appointment as ambassador.

Rudd rose to power as prime minister in 2007 as a Mandarin-speaking progressive, returning the centre-left Labor party to government after a decade in opposition. His party removed him from leadership in 2010, though he briefly returned as prime minister in 2013.

During the 2024 US presidential election campaign, Trump referred to Rudd as "a little bit nasty" when asked about Rudd's social media posts during an interview with British right-wing politician Nigel Farage.

This fueled demands from Australia's opposition Liberal Party, which experienced a significant defeat in this year's national election, for Rudd's dismissal following Trump's electoral victory.