Resurfaced footage shows Kevin Rudd calling Donald Trump a “village idiot” and “incoherent”, reigniting calls for his dismissal as Australia’s ambassador to the United States.
The footage, broadcast by Sky News’ Sharri Markson on Monday night, captured Rudd speaking at a 2021 webinar with Indian politician and former diplomat Dr Shashi Tharoor.
“The United States, for the past four years, has been governed by a village idiot,” Mr. Rudd said.
“People have seen China remain competent in its national statecraft and the United States increasingly incompetent in its national statecraft under Trump.”
These comments came to light just days after Rudd quietly deleted tweets from 2020, in which he called Trump “the most destructive president in history,” while facing calls to resign from the diplomatic post.
Before being named ambassador, Rudd had also called Trump a “political liability,” a “problem for the world” and a “traitor to the West.”
On Tuesday, economist Leith Van Onselen urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to fire Rudd.
‘The first thing the federal government should do is expel Kevin Rudd from Washington because he is a disgrace.
“He’s basically mercilessly attacked Donald Trump before the election, and now that he’s elected, he (Kevin Rudd) is unsustainable.”
‘Australia has to work with whoever the president is. Donald Trump has been elected, he was elected with an overwhelming majority, we have to work with that.
“It is quite unsustainable to have an ambassador there who is so anti-Trump; they should remove him immediately and replace him with someone else.”
Australia’s ambassador to the United States and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called Donald Trump (pictured) a “village idiot”
Rudd (pictured) was named US ambassador in 2022, despite calling Trump a “political liability”, a “problem for the world” and a “traitor to the West”.
In response to news of Rudd’s tweets being deleted, his office was forced to issue a statement saying he removed them “out of respect for the office of President of the United States.”
‘In his previous role as director of a US-based independent think tank, Mr Rudd was a frequent commentator on US politics.
“Following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has removed these past comments from his personal website and social media channels,” the statement read.
“Ambassador Rudd looks forward to working with President Trump and his team to continue strengthening the US-Australia alliance.”
Trump was confronted about Rudd’s hostility toward him in a March interview with British politician Nigel Farage.
“If it’s hostile, it won’t be there long,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the US election, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump said it would be “a little difficult” for the government to keep Rudd in Washington if he had not shown signs of a “change of heart” towards Trump.
“It’s not my decision, but I think it would be nice to have a person who appreciates everything that Donald Trump has been through and wants to serve our country at this moment, this really critical moment in American history,” he told Sky. News.
“Obviously, that’s a little difficult to accept, and perhaps we would want to elect someone else (for the top US embassy position).”
While Rudd is being hounded for past comments he made about Trump, he is not alone among Labor figures in making unflattering comments about the brash property tycoon-turned-politician.
A recently resurfaced video from 2017 shows Albanese appearing at a question and answer session on Splendor in the Grass when he was serving as the Labor Party’s transport and infrastructure spokesperson while in opposition.
When asked how he would “deal with Trump,” Albanese responded, “With fear.”
Pressed further, Albanese said “you have to deal with who gets elected” since Trump has been in the White House for six months.
“We have an alliance with the United States, we have to deal with it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t criticize it,” Mr. Albanese said.
“He (Trump) scares me to death and I think it’s worrying that the leader of the free world thinks you can do politics through 140 characters on Twitter overnight.”
Sunrise host Nat Barr suggested Albanese may need to apologize after Trump was elected US president on Wednesday night and reporters dug deeper into the matter on Thursday morning.
“No, I hope to work with President Trump,” he insisted.
‘I think I have demonstrated my ability to work with world leaders and develop relationships with them, which are positive.
“And I think I have demonstrated that in the two and a half years that I have had the honor of being Prime Minister.”
