The too-long-delayed meeting between Aus PM Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump went about as well as Albanese could have hoped. He was spared a Trumpian ragging and got to sign a multi-billion dollar critical minerals deal. And, for Australians hoping for some spectator sport, Trump couldn’t have picked a better target: Kevin Rudd.
President Donald Trump has blasted Australia’s Ambassador Kevin Rudd in a humiliating exchange, telling him “I don’t like you” and urging him to apologise for criticising him.
The US President lashed out at the former Prime Minister after he was asked about Mr Rudd’s previous social media posts in which he labelled Mr Trump “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West”.
The funniest part was where Trump clearly didn’t even know who Rudd was.
Turning to the Mr Albanese, Mr Trump asked: “did the ambassador say something about me … don’t tell me”.
“Where is he, is he still working for you.”
In an awkward exchange, Mr Albanese hesitated before pointing at Mr Rudd directly across the table from the president, saying “he’s there”.
This would have been the most humiliating part for Rudd, whom coalition strategists in the 2013 election pegged as a grandiose narcissist – meaning he possesses an exaggerated sense of his own importance and superiority. A grandiose narcissist thinks he’s the smartest, most important person in any room, and is sure everyone knows it. Tony Abbott brilliantly exploited Rudd’s character in the 2013 election debates, cutting Rudd off mid-pontification, with the jibe, “Does this bloke ever shut up?” Rudd’s face turned beet red as he too-obviously tried to contain his outrage.
Members of the Trump administration including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth laughed as Mr Rudd attempted to squirm out of the exchange, agreeing he had made comments “before I took this position Mr President”.
Mr Trump interrupted, telling him “I don’t like you either and I probably never will”.
We can just imagine Albanese’s sigh of relief that he wasn’t on the receiving end. Although if Albanese had been given a spanking from Trump, it would have played well enough to the PM’s domestic audience of Trump-deranged normies. But, by making Rudd the target, Trump lobbed a real crowd-pleaser into the gallery. If The Donald doesn’t like Rudd, be assured no one else does either.
Which puts Albanese in an awkward spot: what to do with an ambassador nobody likes?
Let’s be honest: Rudd only got what is the most craved sinecure for political mates because Albanese wanted him mollified and 16,000 km away, far away from where he could stir up political trouble by playing the political Banquo’s ghost. But, no, even there, Rudd managed to stir up headaches for the PM.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said Mr Rudd’s position was now untenable.
“Kevin Rudd really was the elephant in the room and it’s a bit awkward, isn’t it,” she said on Sky News.
“It’s taken nearly a year to get this meeting, and that’s been a failure of the ambassador.
“And when the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him, I think that tells us all we need to know about the fact that it’s probably not reasonable that he continue in the role.”
We need to talk about Kevin, PM.
