Australia’s ambassador to Washington removes posts calling “destructive” Trump a “traitor”

Canberra’s ambassador to the US was “looking forward” to working with Donald Trump, despite calling him “destructive” and “traitorous”, and Australia’s prime minister spoke for the first time with the president-elect, who “frightens h… him

Kevin Rudd and the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday became the latest in a list of senior figures to distance themselves from disparaging remarks about Trump, with the ambassador’s office removing posts from his social media and website to “eliminate the possibility of such comments being misinterpreted.”

While Dr Rudd’s aides were busy cleaning up his internet history, Mr Albanese said it was “pleasant to speak” with Mr Trump on the phone about “the importance of the Alliance and the strength of the Australia-US relationship on security, AUKUS, trade”. and investments”.

But he couldn’t avoid going on record about his personal concerns, with the 2017 video re-emerging to remind the prime minister that he said Trump would “scare the hell out of me” and he would approach him with “tremendousness”.

Mr. Albanese told reporters on Thursday that he would not apologize for the remarks.

“No, I look forward to working with President Trump,” he said.

“I think I’ve demonstrated my ability to work with world leaders and develop relationships with them, which is positive.”

Among Dr Rudd’s deleted posts was a 2020 post in which he called Trump “the most destructive president in history”.

“He is dragging America and democracy through the mud,” Dr Rudd wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“He thrives on inflaming rather than healing division. He abuses Christianity, the church and the Bible to justify violence.”

According to him, Trump was “aided and abetted” by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News network.

Dr Rudd also called Trump “a problem for the world” and a “political liability” who is “not a leading intellectual force”.

Trump responded by saying that the Australian was “not the brightest bulb”.

Although the pair have exchanged insults, they may have more in common than they realize.

As Trump aidesDr. Rudd’s former colleagues spoke of the difficult times they had working with a man described as quick-tempered, arrogant and prone to “meltdowns”.

One of his most famous tantrums came in 2009, when he was accused of verbally abusing a 23-year-old flight attendant on a Royal Australian Air Force flight after she failed to bring him his “special” meal without red meat.

He apologized for the incident, which he called an “argument.”

Australian Senator Ralph Babet, who was in the US for the election, said “the only reason he (Dr Rudd) was sent to the United States was so he couldn’t cause trouble here at home”.

“If Kevin Rudd had any decency, modesty or self-respect, he would have resigned immediately,” he said.

Dr Rudd has come under increasing pressure from the Trumps themselves in recent weeks, leading to speculation that the Trump administration may be pushing Canberra to recall him.

Trump’s daughter-in-law said publicly that “we might want to pick someone else,” and Trump warned that the ambassador “won’t be there long” if he remains “hostile.”

“It’s not my decision, but I think it would be good to have someone who appreciates everything that Donald Trump went through to want to serve our country,” Lara Trump told Sky News earlier in November.

“Obviously that’s a little bit hard to take and maybe we’ll want to choose someone else.”

In an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News in March, Trump said he heard the Australian was “a bit nasty”.

“If he’s hostile at all, he’s not there for long,” he said.

Dr. Ruddfrom the same centre-left Labor Party as Mr Albanese, softened his tone after becoming ambassador in 2023, praising Trump in July for his “discipline” and for pursuing a “sharper and clearer” policy.

The now-deleted posts circulated on social media while he was a private citizen working at a think tank.

“Out of respect for the office of the President of the United States and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these earlier comments from his personal website and social media channels,” Dr Rudd’s office said in a statement.

“This was done in order to avoid the possibility that such comments could be misinterpreted as reflecting his position as an ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian Government.

“Ambassador Rudd looks forward to working with President Trump and his team to continue to strengthen the US-Australia alliance.”

Mr. Albanese and Penny Wongthe Foreign Secretary, repeatedly stated before the election that Dr. Rudd would retain his post in Washington.

“We are confident that Mr. Rudd will continue to do an excellent job in engaging with the new administration,” Ms. Wong said after Trump’s election victory was announced.

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