Kevin Rudd’s radio silence with Donald Trump as US election heats up

Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd is giving Donald Trump the silent treatment as the former president plots his return to the White House.

EXCLUSIVE

Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd has had no formal contact with Donald Trump or his campaign team as the former president plots his return to the White House.

Since taking the top diplomatic post in Washington DC a year ago, the former prime minister and his embassy team have not sent any correspondence to or set up any meetings with the Trump campaign, according to an investigation using Freedom of Information laws.

But Dr Rudd has been in regular contact with senior figures in Mr Trump’s orbit in a bid to prepare the Australian government for a potential Republican administration.

The revelation comes after Mr Trump blasted Dr Rudd – who once called him “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West” – as “a little bit nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”.

Donald Trump hit out at Kevin Rudd during a GB News interview. Picture: Supplied

“If he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long,” Mr Trump warned last month.

Under Freedom of Information Laws, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was asked to provide any correspondence sent by Dr Rudd or the embassy to Mr Trump and his campaign team since he launched his presidential re-election bid, as well as diary entries detailing any meetings with Mr Trump and his advisers.

In response, DFAT assistant secretary Elizabeth Le Bas said: “All reasonable steps have been taken to find the documents and I am satisfied that the documents do not exist.”

Dr Rudd, in an exclusive interview in January, said he had prioritised his close relationships with several of Mr Trump’s former officials including national security adviser Robert O’Brien, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and trade representative Robert Lighthizer.

“I’ve been a candidate myself and the last thing you want to do as a candidate is waste your time with a bunch of well-meaning foreign diplomats,” he said at the time.

In the aftermath of Mr Trump’s attack on Dr Rudd, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong praised the ambassador’s performance and expressed confidence the US-Australia alliance would remain strong regardless of the election result.

Other countries have recently ramped up their diplomatic engagement with the presumptive Republican candidate, with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron visiting Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club earlier this month.

Kevin Rudd became Australia’s top diplomat in the US last year. Picture: Noah Willman

The only briefing prepared for Dr Rudd in relation to Mr Trump and his presidential campaign was for a dinner in February with Mr O’Brien, who is in line to hold a senior post if Mr Trump defeats President Joe Biden in November’s election rematch.

It was also attended by George Glass, the former president’s ambassador to Portugal who is a major donor and part of his campaign finance team.

The briefing highlighted that Mr O’Brien recently said he was “thrilled about AUKUS” – a boost for Australia amid uncertainty about the former president’s view of the pact – but concerned about whether the US would be able to supply nuclear submarines as promised.

“We can’t even get the Australians a Virginia-class boat any time soon,” he told the Reagan Defence Forum.

Two former Australian Prime Ministers flying the flag for AUKUS and the benefits of a unified industrial base it will bring at the American Global Strategies Conference yesterday. @ScoMo30. Thanks to @robertcobrien and @AlexGrayForOK for bringing everyone together. pic.twitter.com/YUziEV7k90

— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) April 17, 2024

Earlier this month, Dr Rudd appeared at an off-the-record function organised by Mr O’Brien’s firm American Global Strategies. Former prime minister Scott Morrison – who joined as the group’s non-executive vice chairman after leaving parliament – also attended.

Dr Rudd spoke alongside Elbridge Colby, one of Mr Trump’s former defence advisers who told The Australian in January that the plan to sell Virginia-class submarines to Australia was “crazy” because the vessels were America’s “ace in the hole for a fight with China”.

“The US has far too few available, many are in maintenance, and the production schedule is below what we need,” Mr Colby said.

Originally published as Kevin Rudd’s radio silence with Donald Trump as US election heats up