Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come to Kevin Rudd’s defence after the Aussie ambassador copped that infamous “I don’t like you” sledge from U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House this week.
Speaking in Washington after the now-viral exchange, Albanese called Rudd an “outstanding Australian representative” and credited him with helping make the high-level visit a success.
At a 140th anniversary event for BHP, the PM told the crowd, “I thank you today, very much publicly – for the success of this visit is down to your hard work,” directly addressing Rudd.
“It is not possible to work harder than Kevin Rudd does,” he continued, per Sydney Morning Herald.
“His engagement with people across the Congress and across the US administration is quite extraordinary and the respect that he is held [in] is a product of that.”
He added that sending a former prime minister to Washington showed just how much Australia valued its alliance with the U.S., saying it wasn’t a job Rudd “needed to do, but one he’s done because of his commitment to serving the nation”.
Albanese doubled down on Nine’s Today Show, confirming Rudd wasn’t going anywhere despite calls from the Coalition for him to be fired. “You bet he is,” the PM said when asked if Rudd would remain as ambassador.
“We’ve appointed him for four years, and he’s doing a fantastic job.”
The Coalition, led by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, argued Rudd’s position was “untenable” after the incident, claiming it damaged Australia’s relationship with the Trump administration.
But Albanese brushed off the criticism, telling reporters that Trump’s comments were just “banter” and noting that the two leaders had spent nearly three hours in constructive talks about AUKUS, energy and industry cooperation.
The awkward moment came during Monday’s joint press meeting at the White House when Trump was asked about Rudd’s old 2020 tweets labelling him “the most destructive president in history”. Rudd calmly told him those posts were made before he became ambassador. Trump’s reply: “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will.”
Despite that, Albanese later revealed Trump assured Rudd that “all was forgiven” after Rudd apologised privately.
In the days since, Albanese has praised Rudd’s diplomatic effort, telling U.S. lawmakers at a Friends of Australia event that Rudd “works his guts out and seems to know everyone on Capitol Hill”. Republican congressman Michael McCaul even joked, “I’m glad you’re still gainfully employed,” before applauding Rudd’s role in pushing the AUKUS deal forward.
Between the minerals deal signing, talks on trade tariffs, and managing Trump’s trademark bluntness, it’s been a busy trip for the PM’s team. But if Albanese’s praise is anything to go by, Kevin Rudd won’t be losing any sleep — or his job — over a single Trump zinger.
The post Anthony Albanese Praises Kevin Rudd As ‘Outstanding’ After That Awkward Trump Moment appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
