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After the US election, Kevin Rudd deleted several old tweets criticising president-elect Donald Trump. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
Kevin Rudd looks set to stay on as ambassador to the United States — at least for now — with the government standing firmly by the former prime minister and the opposition declaring it "hopes" he can succeed with Donald Trump in the White House.
It comes as the federal government grapples with a host of uncertainties about Trump's legislative agenda that could have deep implications for Australia's national security, economy and climate policies when he takes office once again in January.
Mr Rudd's position came under fresh scrutiny on Thursday after he deleted several years-old social media posts fiercely criticising Trump, including calling him a "traitor to the West" and the "most destructive president in history."
His office said he made the comments "in his previous role as the head of an independent US-based think tank" and they were deleted "to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian government."
Still, both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have declared full confidence in Mr Rudd and say they have no plans to move him on.
Some government officials have also praised the ambassador in private, saying he has assiduously courted power players on both sides of the aisle in Washington.
They've also pointed out that Trump has been willing to work with close aides who have previously denounced him — including his vice-president-elect, JD Vance.
Senator Wong called Trump a "pretty robust individual" and declared Mr Rudd had been an "outstanding ambassador and I'm confident will continue to be so".
"One of the hallmarks of his tenure-ship thus far has been his delivery of reforms and changes with the support of both Republicans and Democrats and his ability to work with both sides of the aisle in Washington," she said.
Rudd 'will be buying red ties [and] MAGA hats' says Dutton
The opposition has mocked Mr Rudd over his posts, with the opposition leader suggesting the "indefatigable" former prime minister would now be "buying red ties [and] MAGA hats" to "ingratiate himself with the Trump campaign".
But the Coalition has not called for him to be recalled. Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham told the ABC that he "hoped" Mr Rudd would "be as effective as he has been to date".
However, he also warned that the government would have to make a "clear-eyed assessment" in "coming months" on whether the ambassador would be able to continue in the role.
"Kevin Rudd is not bigger than Australia's interests, nor is Anthony Albanese's personal commitment to Kevin Rudd," he said.
In March, Donald Trump called Mr Rudd "a little bit nasty" and "not the brightest bulb" after British politician Nigel Farage recited some of the former prime minister's criticisms during a TV interview.
Donald Trump was asked about Kevin Rudd during an interview with Nigel Farage. (X: GB News)
But it's not clear whether Trump knew who Mr Rudd was during the exchange, with the president-elect also saying "I don't know much about him."
It's not just Mr Rudd who could be haunted by past comments: the government is also keenly conscious of the video that emerged on the weekend showing Anthony Albanese declaring in 2017 that Trump "scared the shit" out of him.
Much uncertainty, but quiet confidence AUKUS is safe
The uncertainty around Trump's attitude towards Mr Rudd and Mr Albanese is mirrored by a broader uncertainty about what the returned president's domestic and international agenda will mean for the nation and the government's legislative agenda.
The government is cautiously confident that Trump is unlikely to tear up the AUKUS agreement that is the foundation of Australia's ambitions to purchase up to five US Virginia-class submarines from the US, before building its own nuclear-powered submarines.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also indicated that former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and others in Trump's inner circle back the plan and see it as an important part of US strategy in the region.
They are like Honey and Vinegar.
ReplyDeleteAn Austalian Liberal or National Party leader may get along better with Trump, but Labour is a recipe for conflict and strife.
But Trump needs to understand that Australia is a vital ally for the US in the vast reaches of the Pacific, regardless which party is in power in Washington or Canberra.
I hold no high hopes the Orange Idiot can be educated on that reality.
Mfer, DON'T forget u have zilch hopes on anything geopolitical related. Especially with yr biased know nothingness!
DeleteDecide not to let this pass... the Philippines, bèen there before, know people through work, social and Church circle. Granted, every society will have its own culture, unspoken rules and all, we are connected as human being and if we, at some point or at some level of humanity had cried out before, to the horror of such crimes, despite our personal shortcoming, then it worth the change, at personal level, at creating awareness, and at the least, not let it pass to let people know, there is vengeance coming for these crimes and victims, hence my retort from before, hope no MY, are involved in pedo-human trafficking, at any level, those executive orders are a bitch...watch, IL being taken down in due time, for their role in those stuffs...
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https://t.me/dotconnectinganons/153319
👀Apparently, this got buried under election news last week:
An animator for Disney and Pixar orchestrated rapes of young girls in the Philippines that were livestreamed to his devices in France and the US, a court heard on Tuesday.
Bolhem Bouchiba, 59 – whose film credits include Ratatouille, Up and The Incredibles – is accused of ordering livestreams of more than 1,000 acts of sexual and physical abuse.
The father of two boys appeared in a Paris criminal court on Tuesday on charges of complicity in repeated rapes and sexual assaults on minors, human trafficking and child pornography offences.
He faces life imprisonment if convicted.
The victims in the Philippines ranged in age from as young as three to 15.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2012 and 2021 when the graphic designer lived in the west of France and the US.
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Mind you, KR is very compromised, amongst speculation circles...hence his attack dog mode...one of those old boys network thing...
ReplyDeleteNo harm in some awareness spreading...
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https://t.me/professor_patriot_official/28653
A Call to Poison all MAGA men!
Join the MATGA movement "Make Aqua Tofana Great Again" ... it's literally a deadly poison.
These libtards have lost their fucking minds over Trump’s win and launched MATGA—short for Make Aqua Tofana Great Again.
Aqua Tofana was a powerful poison in 17th-century Sicily, sold by women to other women seeking to escape abusive relationships by discreetly poisoning their husbands.
They are literally on the internet saying they are going to poison people
@Retards_TikTok
Is it, one aspect of it, about confounding the @! algorithm, and human analysts without precise info? One moment this, another moment that?
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https://t.me/dotconnectinganons/153371
JUST IN: The Kremlin on Monday denied reports that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, and said Putin had no concrete plans yet to speak to Trump.
The Washington Post first reported that the call had taken place, citing unidentified sources, and said that Trump had told Putin that he should not escalate the Ukraine war. Reuters also reported on the call, citing an unidentified source.
"This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "There was no conversation."
"This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications," Peskov said.
Asked if Putin had plans for any contacts with Trump, Peskov said: "There are no concrete plans yet."
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Time is running...
ReplyDelete~~~~~
https://t.me/dotconnectinganons/153448