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Topics: Donald Trump, Australia, News, US News, Politics, Twitter, Social Media
Madison Burgess
Topics: Donald Trump, Australia, News, US News, Politics, Twitter, Social Media
Not mincing his words, Donald Trump certainly didn't hold back when telling the Australian ambassador what he really thought of him yesterday (20 October).
The US president, 79, met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, marking the pair's first official meeting.
And the Republican leader had nothing but good things to say about the Labor politician and the country in general, telling attendees: "We've been long-term, longtime allies and I would say there's never been anybody better."
He added: "We fought wars together and we never had any doubts."
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His stance on the Ambassador of Australia to the United States, Kevin Rudd, though, paints a different picture completely.
Trump publicly called out Rudd for comments he's made about him in the past, asking him in front of the entire room whether he'd like to apologise.
As per the Independent, a journalist asked if the ambassador's past relationship with Trump had caused the long delay in finally meeting the current Australian prime minister.
This was when Trump nonchalantly responded: "I don’t know anything about him - if he said bad [things] maybe he would like to apologise."
He then turned to Albanese and asked him: "Did an ambassador say something bad about me?," to which the Aussie PM smiled in response.
Trump then joked: "Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know," before very awkwardly asking if the ambassador they were talking about was still with the government.
Little did he know, or maybe he did, that Rudd was actually in the same room, leading Albanese to simply laugh and gesture across the table to him.
Trump directly asked Rudd: "You said bad?," but didn't give him the chance to explain himself before butting in with: "I don’t like you either. And I probably never will." Not awkward at all.
However, Rudd was reportedly heard apologising to the president as the media were filing out, leaning over the table to say sorry, to which Trump said: "All is forgiven."
So, what exactly did Rudd say to lead to this fiery response?
As reported by the BBC, in 2020, Rudd wrote on social media that he believed Trump was the 'most destructive' president in US history.
He also referred to the world leader as a 'village idiot', 'not a leading intellectual force,' and a 'traitor to the West' in tweets that have since been deleted.
People have taken to social media to react to yesterday's uncomfortable moment, penning on Twitter: "That was quite the roast" and "The look on Rudd’s face is priceless".
A third added: "Rudd thinking for a split second he was gonna get to speak, the look on his face."
While a fourth reasoned: "I generally have a positive view of Trump, but I think this was just rude."