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Key Points:
Trump confronts Rudd over past criticisms during a White House meeting with PM Anthony Albanese.
Tense moment turns humorous as Trump tells Rudd, “I don’t like you either,” prompting laughter in the room.
Exchange follows major US-Australia deal on rare-earth and critical minerals worth $2 billion.
US President Donald Trump confronted Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd on October 20, 2025, after Rudd had criticized him in the past. The encounter took place shortly after the signing of a multibillion-dollar agreement on rare-earth and critical minerals with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The exchange occurred during a meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House. Rudd, a former Labor Party leader, had been a vocal critic of Trump during his time out of office. In 2021, he called Trump the “village idiot” and described him as the “most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West” in social media posts. Those comments were deleted after Trump returned to the presidency.
During the meeting, after a journalist raised Rudd’s earlier remarks, Trump asked Albanese, who was seated next to him, “Did an ambassador say something bad about me? Where is he? Is he still working for you?”
Albanese replied that Rudd — a former prime minister and Australia’s ambassador to the US since 2023 — was sitting across the table. Trump then asked, “You said bad?”
As Rudd began to explain, “Before I took this position, Mr. President,” Trump interrupted him.
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“I don’t like you either. I don’t. And I probably never will,” Trump said to Rudd before telling a reporter to move to the next question. The room quickly erupted in laughter after Trump’s quirky response to Rudd. The video of the interaction circulated widely on social media.
Rudd has served as Australia’s ambassador in Washington since March 2023. Before entering diplomacy, he was prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013.
The confrontation followed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the US and Australia to expand the mining and processing of rare-earth elements and critical minerals. The deal includes $2 billion in combined investment commitments aimed at reducing reliance on China, which dominates global supply chains.
China produces over two-thirds of the world’s rare-earth minerals and controls about 90% of processing capacity. The minerals are essential for manufacturing magnets, batteries, semiconductors, and other high-tech components.
The agreement was announced amid tensions over China’s new export controls requiring approval for shipments of products containing these minerals. Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing does not reverse the policy. The minerals pact builds on existing US-Australia security and economic ties, including the AUKUS submarine agreement and joint efforts to secure supply chains for strategic materials. [Rh/Eth/VS]
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