FILE PHOTO: Ambassador of Australia to the U.S. Kevin Rudd attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's ambassador in Washington, Kevin Rudd, deleted comments he previously made about Donald Trump after the Republican's election win, saying on Thursday they did not reflect the view of the Australian government.
Rudd, a former prime minister, had previously made the comments about Trump in his capacity as the head of a U.S.-based think tank, a statement on his personal website said.
Among the deleted comments, Rudd had in 2020 described Trump as “the most destructive president in history”.
"Out of respect for the office of President of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels," the statement said.
Rudd wanted to "eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as Ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian Government," it added.
Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong said on Thursday the centre-left government led by Anthony Albanese was confident of its alliance with the United States, its biggest security partner, including the AUKUS deal where Australia will buy nuclear powered submarines from the United States next decade.
Wong said in radio and television interviews on Thursday she had met with Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state in the previous Trump administration during the election campaign, and there was bipartisan support for AUKUS.
"The United States is our principal strategic partner. We share very, very clear strategic objectives," she told the Today programme. "We both want a region which is stable, a region which is peaceful, and there's bipartisan support for AUKUS, which is a key part of that."
Trump, when asked about Rudd's comments in a British TV interview in March, said Rudd was "not the brightest bulb" and "nasty".
"He won't be there long if that's the case," Trump said.
Wong said she backed Rudd's ability to work with a Republican administration.
Rudd was the chief executive of the Asia Society think tank in New York until 2023, when he was appointed as ambassador.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Lewis Jackson in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
