Rudd scrubs anti-Trump comments from the internet as charm ...
Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, has scrubbed comments critical of incoming president Donald Trump from his online record, as the Albanese government rushes to avoid offending the nation’s most important security partner.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted that Rudd will remain as Australia’s top diplomat in Washington even though he previously excoriated Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and described him as a “traitor to the West”.
Albanese spoke to Trump by telephone Thursday morning, the first time they have spoken.
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, in the corridor after a television interview in the press gallery at Parliament House.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
In a post on X, Albanese said: “Good to speak this morning with President Trump to personally congratulate him on his election victory.
“We talked about the importance of the alliance, and the strength of the Australia-US relationship in security, AUKUS, trade and investment. I look forward to working together in the interests of both our countries.”
Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Albanese said he would continue to advocate for free trade even though Trump has vowed to implement tariffs on imported goods into the United States.
“Australia is a supporter of trade. We’re a trading nation and we will continue to be advocates for free and fair trade,” Albanese said.
The federal opposition has said the government should be open to removing Rudd from his post if necessary to ensure the US-Australia alliance is not damaged.
In a statement posted on Thursday morning, just a day after Trump was declared the winner of the election, Rudd’s office said: “In his previous role as the head of an independent US-based think tank [the Asia Society], Mr Rudd was a regular commentator on American politics.
“Out of respect for the office of President of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels.
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“This has been done to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian government.
“Ambassador Rudd looks forward to working with President Trump and his team to continue strengthening the US-Australia alliance.”
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham pressed officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about Rudd’s now-deleted social media posts at Senate estimates hearings on Thursday, pointing out that some posts were made in “close proximity” to his appointment as ambassador.
In an especially critical post on Trump from 2020, made after protesters were forcibly removed from an area near the White House, Rudd said: “He drags America and democracy through the mud. He thrives on fomenting, not healing, division. He abuses Christianity, church and bible to justify violence.”
The question of Rudd’s future in Washington rose to prominence in March when Trump told Brexit champion Nigel Farage in an interview that while he did not know much about Rudd, he had heard “he was a little bit nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”.
Donald Trump holds a Bible outside St. John’s Church across Lafayette Park from the White House during the 2020 protests. Credit: AP
Foreign Minister Penny Wong insisted that Rudd was “absolutely” the right person to represent Australia’s interests in Washington, saying he had played a crucial role in securing the passage of legislation to deliver AUKUS.
“Kevin’s worked very hard with the rest of the team at the embassy to deliver that,” she said on Thursday.
Comments also resurfaced of Defence Minister Richard Marles saying in 2017 that “Australia should not be afraid to criticise Donald Trump when his unpredictability harms the national interest”.
Wong said she met with Mike Pompeo – who served as Trump’s secretary of state in his first term and may return to serve in a senior role such as defence secretary – and other senior Republicans during a recent visit to Washington.
Wong said she had stressed the importance of AUKUS to Australia and received a positive response.
Former Labor foreign ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans, however, have questioned the future of the nuclear-powered submarine plan under the Trump administration.
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Michael Green, the chief executive of the United States Studies Centre and a former senior official in George W Bush’s administration, said: “There is every reason to believe Kevin Rudd will stay in his post.
“He hasn’t said anything worse about Trump than JD Vance and Trump’s national security staff will not want to start off the term with a fight with Australia over the ambassador.”
Vance once compared Trump to Hitler but was subsequently chosen to be his running mate.
Other Australian foreign policy sources noted that Rudd’s expertise on China had made him highly sought after in Washington and that he had built extensive contacts with Republican officials, including those close to Trump.
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