‘Bumps in the road’: Kevin Rudd weighs in on Donald Trump tariffs

Kevin Rudd, who once called Donald Trump a “traitor to the West”, has weighed in on US-Australia relations amid the US President’s global tariffs.

Kevin Rudd has brushed off Donald Trump’s tariffs as a “bump in the road” of an otherwise mutually beneficial relationship that can be further strengthened through superannuation investments, critical mineral deals and automotive industry collaboration.

The ambassador said recent political upheaval under the Trump administration had not changed Australia’s view of the United States, saying both countries had a similarly robust “slug and punch, take no prisoners” democracy.

Speaking at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Detroit, Dr Rudd said the relationship between the two countries had persisted through 15 American presidents and 15 Australian Prime Ministers because it was anchored in common interests and values.

Kevin Rudd says ties between the US and Australia are solid. Picture: Getty Images

The ambassador said the ties between the two countries were already solid through partnerships including the AUKUS military deal, the ANZUS security treaty and the Five Eyes intelligence sharing but that there were still opportunities to strengthen the relationship.

Among the opportunities he identified was a draft accord by which Australia could help the US become self-reliant in critical minerals, a strategic priority of President Trump.

“The geology of the United States does not permit you to be self-reliant in all 50 (minerals) because that’s not all here, but if you add Canada and Australia, you are,” Dr Rudd said.

Australia’s ambassador to the US says recent political upheaval under the Trump administration has not changed Australia’s view of the US. Picture: Benedict Brook / News.com.au

“So what we need to work out, and we have drafted accord with the administration at present, on these questions, is how do we collaborate, both on the mining, the extraction, the transportation and the processing and the stockpiling to make our economies resilient.”

Dr Rudd said Australia’s $3 trillion pension funds – worth more than the sovereign funds of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar combined – were also looking for investment opportunities.

“Our funds cannot invest all those funds in Australia, the economy is not big enough,” he said.

“So increasingly they’re diversifying offshore, increasingly they’re coming here, and they’re investing in big, long scale, long term infrastructure projects in various states, in the United States, and that’s where that can happen…”.

Dr Rudd said the dynamic developments coming from the US were economy changing, nation changing, and military changing technological advances.

“So our view of all that is that that’s where the mainstream of our collaboration with the United States will continue to go and we’ll navigate political bumps in the road and policy bumps in the road on the way through,” Dr Rudd said.

“So that’s the broad view down under. We don’t intend to be distracted by what we would see as policy marginalia.”

Originally published as ‘Bumps in the road’: Kevin Rudd weighs in on Donald Trump tariffs