Kevin Rudd apologises to Donald Trump for ‘most destructive president’ post
Following Trump’s rebuke of Kevin Rudd and the ambassador’s apology for a disparaging post of five years ago, the President reassured him that ‘all’s forgiven’ | WATCH
Donald Trump has forgiven Kevin Rudd for his past criticisms but revealed he has no personal relationship with the Australian ambassador – declaring that “I don’t know anything about him” – in his first White House meeting with Anthony Albanese.
After being questioned about Dr Rudd’s disparaging remarks about him posted five years ago on social media, the US President asked if the criticism was “bad” and then suggested: “Maybe he’ll like to apologise ... Where is he? Is he still working?”
Mr Trump appeared to be unaware that Dr Rudd was seated across the table from him in the White House cabinet room after being asked about the Australian ambassador’s previous criticisms by the Australian media.
Once he was alerted to Dr Rudd’s presence at the table, the US President then asked the ambassador directly: “Is it bad?”
Dr Rudd said the criticism was made “before I took this position, Mr President”. He added: “I withdraw those statements.”
Mr Trump swiftly replied: “I don’t like you either. And I probably never will.”
However, the exchange was not without humour with the comment from Mr Trump being met with general laughter, including from Mr Albanese himself, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.
The Australian was informed that, after journalists had left the room, Dr Rudd directly told the US President “I apologise” and Mr Trump said all was forgiven for the comments Dr Rudd had made.
Former Australian ambassador to the US, Dennis Richardson, said the exchange inside the White House cabinet room between Mr Trump and Dr Rudd meant that “if anyone felt the air needed to be cleared, then it’s been cleared”.
“In point of fact, from all accounts, including his former detractors, ambassador Rudd has been doing an outstanding job in Washington,” Mr Richardson said.
“The outcome of this visit owes an enormous amount to Prime Minister Albanese. It owes an enormous lot to (Foreign Minister) Penny Wong and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and overwhelmingly to ambassador Rudd.”
Mr Richardson, the former head of the Defence and Foreign Affairs departments as well as ASIO, said Dr Rudd had put his “heart and soul” into securing the $8.5bn critical minerals deal with the Trump administration.
“I think to focus in on a few throwaway comments by President Trump is simply, I think it’s a bit tacky,” he said. “And it’s missing the substantive gains that have been made.”
When Mr Trump left office in 2021, Dr Rudd posted on social media that he had been the “most destructive” president in US history and “a traitor to the west” during his first term in office.
Dr Rudd deleted the post after Mr Trump’s election in 2024, “out of respect” for the President’s office.
Sussan Ley seized on the exchange, arguing that Dr Rudd should be sacked and that it was “untenable” for him to stay in the role.
“When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the Prime Minister is actually laughing at him, I think that tells us all we need to know about the fact that it’s probably not reasonable that he continue in the role,” the Opposition Leader told Sky News.
Opposition trade, investment and tourism spokesman Kevin Hogan told ABC radio that Dr Rudd’s position was “now untenable. “He should be recalled,” he said. “He’s certainly not helping the relationship between Australia and the US.”
Dr Rudd was announced as Australia’s ambassador to the US in December 2022 and took up the position in March 2023, succeeding Arthur Sinodinos in the role.
The exchange between Dr Rudd and Mr Trump has heightened speculation over whether the government will now extend the ambassador’s term. Mr Sinodinos served for three years in the role from February 2020 while his predecessor, Joe Hockey, served as ambassador for four years from January 2016 to January 2020.
Senator Wong said that the comments made by Mr Trump about Dr Rudd were intended as “tongue-in-cheek.”
“We heard the laughter. We know that we had a very successful meeting and full credit to Kevin,” the Foreign Minister told the Nine Network’s Today.
“Ambassador Rudd has worked so hard on firstly getting this (critical minerals) agreement. He’s worked so hard on assuring AUKUS and the delivery of the submarines in our national interest.
“The success of this meeting is in great part due to the work that Kevin Rudd has been doing in the United States.
“We had a meeting which was a clear success. We had a meeting where our national interest was affirmed. We had a meeting where the President of the United States talked about how much he loves Australia. We had a meeting where the President of the United States backs in AUKUS and the submarines, and we signed an excellent critical minerals deal.”
Mr Sinodinos said it was a “very positive day” for Australia given Mr Albanese’s positive meeting with Mr Trump and dismissed suggestions that Dr Rudd’s term would be cut short.
“In terms of the exchange between the President and the ambassador Kevin Rudd – look, in this business, you live by the sword, you die by the sword,” he said. “Clearly, some remarks that Kevin had made in the past got picked up by the President, or he was reminded of them and made his views very clear.
“I don’t think this means that Prime Minister Albanese is about to junk the ambassador or anything like that. They’re very close, and it would look as if he was succumbing to pressure to do that.”
Additional Reporting: Noah Yim
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