Australia’s Ambassador to the United States and Former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has deleted social media posts labelling Donald Trump “the most destructive president in history” amid growing political tensions over his appointment.
Rudd’s move, confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces mounting calls to replace Rudd in Washington.
Rudd’s June 2020 comments, in which he described Trump as “a traitor to the West” who “drags America and democracy through the mud,” were quietly removed in the final stages of the US election campaign.
DFAT Deputy Secretary Elly Lawson told Senate estimates that Rudd’s office issued a statement confirming the deletion was done “out of respect for the office of President of the United States” and to prevent the comments from being “misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian government.”
Prime Minister Albanese, who had previously been critical of Trump, defended Rudd’s position, calling his ambassadorship “a sign of the importance we place on the US-Australia alliance.”
However, Trump responded pointedly to Rudd’s earlier criticisms. In an interview with British broadcaster Nigel Farage in March, he described Rudd as “nasty” and “not the brightest bulb,” suggesting,
“He won’t be there long if that’s the case.”
Opposition members have questioned the government’s choice of Rudd, arguing his previous criticisms could strain US-Australian relations.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson told SkyNews that it was now on the Albanese government to show “Rudd is still the right choice.”
RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump commented on the tensions, saying it would be “hard” for someone who had “said such nasty things” to represent Australia.
Albanese, who spoke to Trump after his electoral victory, highlighted that security issues, including the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, remain central to the alliance.
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