Consider what Rudd’s own colleagues have said about him publicly and privately

Sadly, I do not have the space to list all the character assessments Kevin Rudd has received from Labor luminaries over the years, so here are the top 10 sledges.

Kevin Rudd was among Anthony Albanese’s first big mistakes as Prime Minister.

Appointing the highly divisive former PM as ambassador to our biggest and most important ally was exceptionally unwise.

The man who made an art form of sniping, strategic leaking and white-anting – and was despised by his own colleagues – was a bizarre choice to be our ambassador to the US.

It’s no surprise that Donald Trump, the man most likely to be America’s next president, has little time for Rudd.

Donald Trump has little time for Kevin Rudd. Picture: Getty

“I don’t know much about him. I heard he was a little bit nasty,” Trump said in an interview. “I hear he’s not the brightest bulb, but I don’t know much about him. If he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long.”

The comments came after Trump was reminded of some of the hyperbolic abuse Rudd had made about him – behaviour that shows the former PM is not fit for a diplomatic role.

If you think Trump’s “nasty” and “not the brightest bulb” comments are unfair, then consider what Rudd’s own colleagues have said about him publicly and privately.

Sadly, I do not have the space to list all the character assessments Rudd has received from Labor luminaries over the years, so here are the top 10 sledges:

1 Former NSW Labor premier and federal senator Kristina Keneally: “The man is a psychopathic narcissist, and that’s not just my opinion, that’s the opinion of a whole range of people who are currently sitting in the parliament.”

2 Former Labor MP Steve Gibbons: “A psychopath with a giant ego.”

3 Former Labor resources minister Gary Gray: “Kevin Rudd can spread confusion, create torment, he can get himself into the media, but he can’t govern – he doesn’t have the courage and the strength that’s required”.

Rudd has been labelled a ‘psychopath with a giant ego’. Picture: Martin Ollman

4 Former Labor senior minister Nicola Roxon: “Nothing excuses persistently destabilising and leaking against your own team during an election … removing Kevin (as leader) was an act of political bastardry, for sure. But this act of political bastardry was made possible only because Kevin had been such a bastard himself to so many people.”

5 Keneally again: “I can think of 12 Australians, off the top of my head, who would be a better secretary-general, and one of them is my labrador.”

6 Former senior Labor minister Stephen Conroy: “Kevin Rudd had contempt for the cabinet, contempt for the cabinet members, contempt for the caucus, contempt for the parliament and, ultimately, what brought him down a year or two ago was that the Australian public worked out that he had contempt for them as well.”

7 Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard: “Kevin was very fragile in the face of criticism … across his life he felt the need for himself to be filled by the approval of others. Clearly, there is a hole that needs to be filled by applause and approval”.

8 Former Labor treasurer and deputy prime minister Wayne Swan: “The truth is, Prime Minister Rudd is deeply flawed …(with) great weaknesses which, to date, have not necessarily been seen in public.”

9 Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke: “Kevin has been running a relentless campaign to undermine the government.”

10 Former Labor Party leader and cabinet minister the late Simon Crean: “He’s clearly been disloyal internally.”