Ditching Rudd over Trump insults would be ‘worst possible signal’: Turnbull

Kevin Rudd’s future in Washington looks increasingly uncertain after a key Donald Trump ally sent an ominous message that the former prime minister’s days as Australia’s top diplomat in the United States are numbered.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand by Rudd, arguing the push against the ambassador was driven by News Corporation’s desire to gain revenge against Rudd for his past criticisms of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire.

Ambassador Kevin Rudd’s past remarks about US president-elect Donald Trump are being used against him.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Liberal senator Dean Smith broke ranks with his colleagues on Wednesday to call on Rudd to “pack his bags” after Dan Scavino, a senior adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign, posted an image on X showing sand trickling through an hourglass in response to Rudd’s official statement on Trump’s election victory.

Scavino’s post shows that Rudd’s scathing comments about Trump have been noticed by some in the president-elect’s inner circle, raising doubts about whether Rudd can remain in his post despite the strong support of Albanese and several of Rudd’s predecessors.

Scavino was responding to a post on X on November 7 in which Rudd congratulated Trump on his election victory, saying: “Australia looks forward to working with President Trump and his administration on the challenges and opportunities that our two great democracies and the wider world will face in the years ahead.”

After acting as Trump’s golf caddie, Scavino served as director of social media and deputy White House chief of staff for communications. He is expected to return to the White House in a senior role.

A senior adviser to Donald Trump, Dan Scavino, during the US election campaign.Credit: AP

Rudd last week scrubbed critical comments about Trump from his online record, including posts in which he excoriated Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and described him as a “traitor to the West”.

Video has subsequently emerged of Rudd describing Trump as a “village idiot” in 2021, before he was appointed to his ambassadorial role in December 2022.

Turnbull said: “It would be the worst possible signal to send to Trump to pull our ambassador out because he was critical of Trump in the past.

“I didn’t have success with Trump as prime minister because I kissed his arse. You have to be tough.”

Turnbull said News Corporation outlets such as Sky News were campaigning for Rudd to be removed because of his past calls for a royal commission into the Murdoch media.

“This is revenge,” said Turnbull, who took over from Rudd as co-chair of the Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission group when Rudd took up his diplomatic posting.

“This is a campaign that News Corp kicked off, and they are running a vendetta ... The question for the Trump adulators in the right-wing media ecosystem in Australia is whether they want our representative in Washington to stand up for Australia or join the ranks of the Trump sycophants?”

Dennis Richardson, a former US ambassador, made a similar argument, saying Rudd should be allowed to continue his work in Washington.

“Trump has clearly been comfortable having people around him who have criticised him in the past,” he said.

“This would not have become an issue at all unless certain figures at Sky News were determined to keep it going.”

Richardson noted the focus on Rudd’s future erupted when Brexit champion Nigel Farage asked Trump about Rudd in a March interview on behalf of colleagues at Sky News Australia.

Trump said that while he did not know much about Rudd, he had heard “he was a little bit nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”.

Smith told Nine-owned radio station 6PR on Wednesday: “I don’t think that Kevin Rudd is operating from a position of strength any more. If I was the foreign minister, I’d probably ask him to pack his bags.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham called for the government to undertake a clear-eyed assessment of whether Rudd should remain in the role.

“Ambassador Rudd and the prime minister are the ones who are in the box seat to best make the assessment in coming weeks or months about how effectively he is going to be able to continue to have the influence and get the outcomes that Australia needs,” Birmingham told the National Press Club.

Birmingham said the risks of appointing Rudd were well-known.

“We’ve wished Kevin success, we’ve celebrated where he has had success, we want to see that success continue,” Birmingham said.

“Hopefully, indeed, the type of forgiveness that has been demonstrated to those members of the new administration will be extended in this case as well, but ultimately, the PM and ambassador Rudd have to put Australia’s interests first.”

Some supporters of Rudd privately acknowledge that his position could become untenable, even if they believe the campaign against him is unfair.

The most likely scenario is that Rudd would step down after judging that someone else could be more effective in the role, rather than Albanese sacking him, the sources said.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has backed Rudd, as have previous US ambassadors Joe Hockey, Arthur Sinodinos and Kim Beazley.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott said he would “be surprised if there is any pressure from the Americans to change our ambassador”.

“I have no reason to think that Kevin is not doing a good job at present,” Abbott said.

Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, told Sky News before the election that Rudd’s criticisms of Trump could be a problem.

“It’s not my decision but I do think it would be nice to have a person who appreciates all Donald Trump has gone through to want to serve our country at this moment, this really critical moment in the history of America,” she said.

“Obviously, [Rudd’s criticism] is a little bit tough to take, and maybe we would want to choose someone else.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has insisted Rudd was “absolutely” the right person to represent Australia in Washington because he had played a crucial role in securing the passage of legislation to deliver AUKUS.

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