Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will step down as Australian ambassador to the United States at the end of March, a year earlier than expected.
Key Takeaways
- In a statement to X, Rudd revealed he had been appointed global president and CEO of the Asia Society, president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and chair of the Centre for China Analysis.
- As part of his new role, Rudd will remain in the US to work on US-China relations.
Key background
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was appointed Australia’s ambassador to the United States back in 2022, commencing the role in March 2023.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Senator Penny Wong detailed some of Rudd’s achievements in the role, including securing US Congressional authorising legislation for the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement and helping negotiate the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
During his time in Washington, Rudd also navigated a strained relationship with US President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House during Rudd’s posting. The ambassador was forced to delete historic social media posts critical of Trump, including comments labelling him a “traitor to the West”.
That tension surfaced publicly last year during a press conference marking a US–Australia critical minerals deal, when Trump told Rudd, “I don’t like you, and I probably never will.” The exchange underlined the political complexity of the role as Canberra adjusted to a second Trump administration.
Before his role as ambassador, Rudd was the president and CEO of the Asia Society from 2021 to 2023. The role, which had recently become vacant, is now his once again. His posting officially ends on 31 March, 2026, and a new ambassador will be appointed “in due course”. Rudd served as Prime Minister of Australia between 2007 and 2010, and again in 2013.
Crucial quote
Prime Minister Albanese announced Rudd’s departure at a press conference in Canberra, saying the role was “complex”.
“I have visited the United States on no less than seven occasions. That is because of the productive work that Kevin Rudd has done across the board, including, particularly, advancing the economic relationship between our two nations, but also, of course, ensuring that AUKUS is able to proceed in a way that benefits Australia, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, and indeed across the board.”
Tangent
There’s no shortage of noise coming out of Washington right now, including renewed talk from President Donald Trump about Greenland and US national security. That attention hasn’t gone unnoticed in financial circles. Some of the world’s richest investors are already positioning themselves around Greenland, betting that strategic interest could translate into commercial opportunity.
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