Antinuclear

Trump’s public snub of Kevin Rudd leaves Albanese in an awkward spot.

21 October 2025 AIMN Editorial, By Peter Brown, https://theaimn.net/trumps-public-snub-of-kevin-rudd-leaves-albanese-in-an-awkward-spot/

If there was ever a moment to remind Australia how unpredictable Donald Trump can be, it came this morning in Washington. During what was meant to be a routine display of alliance diplomacy, President Trump turned a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese into an uncomfortable spectacle – publicly belittling Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd.

The meeting, held in the Cabinet Room and briefly opened to the media, was supposed to focus on AUKUS, trade, and critical minerals. Instead, Trump seized on past comments Rudd had made about him before taking up the ambassador’s post.

“I don’t know him,” Trump said at first when asked about Rudd. But moments later, spotting the ambassador across the room, he called out that he had said bad things. (Rudd has called him a “village idiot,” “political liability” and “traitor to the West.”)

Rudd replied calmly that his remarks were made “before I took this position, Mr President.”

Trump then delivered the line that made headlines: “I don’t like you either. And I probably never will.”

The room fell briefly silent before nervous laughter filled the gap. Albanese, sitting beside Trump, managed a polite smile – the sort that world leaders perfect for moments when diplomacy meets farce.

For the Australian delegation, it was an awkward start. The ambassador is meant to represent Australia’s interests in Washington, not become the focus of the U.S. President’s scorn. Trump’s public jab undermined the seriousness of the visit, distracting from discussions on defence cooperation and trade, and casting a shadow over what Canberra hoped would be a reaffirmation of the alliance.

While the White House described the exchange as “light-hearted,” few in the room saw it that way. The optics were unmistakable: an American president publicly dressing down an allied ambassador in front of his own prime minister.

The embarrassment for Albanese is less about the insult itself and more about what it signals. Trump’s thin-skinned, personal style of politics still dominates his diplomacy. Even close partners can be caught off guard when personality overshadows policy.

For Australia, the episode is a reminder that managing the relationship with Washington in the Trump era means managing Trump himself. Albanese will no doubt downplay the moment, emphasising the “strength and longevity” of the alliance. But the footage of Rudd’s tight smile and Trump’s barbed humour tells its own story.

In the end, the visit may still deliver the necessary outcomes on defence and trade – but it will also be remembered for the moment when the Australian ambassador became the punchline in Trump’s Oval Office show.

October 22, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized