Kevin Rudd stepping down as ambassador to the US

2 hours ago 1

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will step down as Australia’s ambassador to the US at the end of March, a year earlier than expected.

In October, the Albanese government shrugged off negative comments from US President Donald Trump about the ambassador and opposition calls for him to be sacked.

Australia’s US ambassador Kevin Rudd and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Trump told Rudd that he would never like him during a White House meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but the prime minister treated the exchange as a joke and Rudd later privately apologised to Trump for his past criticisms.

The announcement by Albanese that Rudd was stepping down to return to his role as global president of the Asia Society think tank was unexpected. He had been staunchly defended by the government and diplomatic sources after Trump turned to him during a formal dinner, after someone asked about negative remarks, and said: “I don’t like you either [laughter], and I probably never will”.

It was described at the time as a joke, prompting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to say that “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 because there are critically important issues to address.”

Rudd scrubbed critical comments about Trump from his online record after Trump’s election victory in November 2024, including posts in which he said Trump was “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West”. Video subsequently emerged of Rudd describing Trump as a “village idiot” in 2021.

Rudd was appointed to his ambassadorial role in December 2022.

Both Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong paid tribute to his prodigious work ethic and efforts to represent Australia in his three years in the role.

“During both the Democrat and Republican administrations, Kevin has worked in collaboration with our closest security ally and principal strategic partner to achieve concrete outcomes,” Albanese said during a press conference in Canberra to announce the end of Rudd’s term.

“As prime minister, I have visited the United States on no less than seven occasions. That is because of the productive work that Kevin Rudd has done across the board, including particularly advancing the economic relationship between our two nations, but also, of course, ensuring that AUKUS is able to proceed in a way that benefits Australia, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom.”

Wong said: “I can say to you, as someone who engages not only with the United States but with our partners across the globe, that Kevin’s expertise when it comes to China is sought after internationally by leaders far and wide, and I now have no doubt he will continue in this new role to contribute to a better understanding of our region, the Indo-Pacific, at this critical time.”

Albanese insisted that the decision was entirely Rudd’s, and that he was not pushed to move on early.

“Kevin Rudd has a work ethic unlike anyone I’ve ever met, he has worked tirelessly,” he said.

“He’s moving on to a role that he believes is pivotal. Kevin Rudd will tell you privately what he has said publicly, and what drove him to write his book, is that the relationship between the United States and China, the two big superpowers, is he thinks that is the most important one that will define the mid-part of this century. He sees this as a continuation of his public service to not just Australia, but to the global community.”

More to come.

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