President Donald Trump offered a blunt reaction to an Australian official during a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday, Oct. 20.
The leaders were discussing a potential agreement on rare earth minerals when Trump’s attention shifted to another participant at the table — former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who now serves as Australia’s ambassador to the United States.
Rudd has long been one of Trump’s sharpest critics. In the past, he called the president a “quack apothecary” for promoting unproven COVID-19 cures and argued that “America First” revealed a nation unwilling to help during global crises. He also referred to Trump as a “village idiot,” a “political liability,” and even a “traitor to the West.”
So, when a reporter noted Rudd’s presence at the meeting, Trump didn’t hold back.
“I don’t know anything about him,” Trump said. “If he said bad, then maybe he’ll like to apologize.”
He turned to Albanese and asked, “Where is he? Is he still working for you?”
Albanese pointed out Rudd, seated across the table. Rudd responded that his earlier comments were made before assuming his ambassadorial post.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(764x245:766x247):format(webp)/Donald-Trump-1-102125-370245fe3dc940068162c681eb55b514.jpg)
“I don’t like you either,” Trump shot back. “And I probably never will.”
Following the exchange, Albanese praised Rudd’s diplomatic work while departing the meeting. “Kevin Rudd is doing a fantastic job as the ambassador,” he said, according to Australia’s ABC News. “Every single person we met on The Hill said exactly the same thing.”
The tense exchange wasn’t the only awkward moment of the day. At one point, Trump interrupted his conversation with Albanese to scold a camera operator who accidentally bumped into an antique mirror.
“You better watch that. You’re not allowed to break that,” he warned, prompting laughter from those in the room.
“That mirror is 400 years old,” Trump added. “A camera just hit the mirror. I just moved it up here, special from the vaults, and the first thing that happens — a camera hits it. Hard to believe, isn’t it? But these are the problems in life.”
