Trump Warns Australian Ambassador to US Could Lose Position If He Wins Power

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., on March 2, 2024. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised former Australian prime minister and current Ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, warning he could be ousted from the job if he wins power.

During an interview with London’s GB News channel, former British politician Nigel Farage asked President Trump about his opinion on Mr. Rudd, who has been a fierce critic of the Republican U.S. president.

Before being appointed as U.S. ambassador by the Labor government in late 2022, Australia’s 26th prime minister lashed out at President Trump on a number of occasions, including calling him “the most destructive president in history” in 2020.

In response, President Trump said Mr. Rudd was unlikely to hold his position for long if he continued to be hostile.

“He won’t be there longer. That’s the case. I don’t know much about him,” President Trump said.

“I heard he was a little bit nasty. I heard he was not the brightest bulb.

“I don’t know much about him. But if he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long.”

The former U.S. president is expected to face off against his previous rival, incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden, in the November election.

In a recent speech in Ohio, President Trump warned that there would be an economic “bloodbath“ if he were not reelected.

According to his campaign, the 45th president was referring to the broader U.S. economy and the auto industry with the term.

Pointing to the emergence of massive Chinese automobile plants being built in Mexico, President Trump said the Chinese Communist Party would dump cheap cars with no tax into the U.S. market, negatively affecting the broader economy.

Meanwhile, President Biden has continued to see a drop in his approval rating.

According to a recent poll in February, President Biden’s approval rating slipped one percentage point to 37 percent, almost the lowest level of his presidency, while the disapproval rating rose from 57 percent to 58 percent.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks during an event at Jack Morton Auditorium of George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mr. Rudd is not the only Labor politician with a negative view of President Trump and his family.

In 2023, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil made headlines when she traded barbs with President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., calling him a “sore loser” while stating that “his dad lost an election fair and square.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley warned Australian politicians to refrain from commenting on the U.S. political situation during this period, saying they should wait for the outcome of the November election.

“I’m not going to make commentary on what might transpire ... I think people in this government now might be wondering why they made the comments they did at the time,” she told Sky News.

“Kevin Rudd is our ambassador, we do want him to succeed because he represents the national interest.”