Kevin Rudd’s bruising chapter in Washington is drawing to a sudden close, with the former prime minister set to step down as Australia’s ambassador to the United States at the end of March – one year earlier than expected – after months of simmering tension with President Donald Trump.
The announcement, delivered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, took many by surprise. As recently as October, the government had brushed aside opposition calls for Rudd’s removal after Trump publicly declared his personal disdain for the ambassador during a White House meeting.
“I don’t like you either,” Trump told Rudd at a formal dinner, adding, to laughter around the room, that he “probably never will”. Albanese laughed off the remark at the time, later describing it as a joke, while Rudd privately apologised to the president for his past criticisms.
Those criticisms, however, had already become political ammunition. Following Trump’s election victory in November 2024, Rudd quietly scrubbed his online record of past posts branding Trump “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West”. Video later resurfaced of Rudd describing Trump as a “village idiot” in 2021.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley seized on the awkwardness of the White House exchange, arguing that an ambassador who had become “the punchline of the joke” could not credibly represent Australia on issues of national importance.
Despite the controversy, Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong mounted a staunch defence of Rudd, praising his relentless work ethic and diplomatic reach since his appointment in December 2022. Albanese credited Rudd with strengthening economic ties, deepening cooperation with Australia’s “closest security ally”, and helping steer the AUKUS pact forward.
Wong highlighted Rudd’s deep expertise on China, saying it was “sought after internationally by leaders far and wide” and would now be channelled into his return as global president of the Asia Society think tank.
Albanese insisted the decision to step down was Rudd’s alone, rejecting suggestions he had been forced out. “Kevin Rudd has a work ethic unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” the prime minister said. “He has worked tirelessly.”
Rudd, Albanese said, views the US–China relationship as the defining geopolitical contest of the century – and his departure from Washington not as a retreat, but a redeployment.
Images: Sky News
