Kevin Rudd is not everyone’s cup of tea. But is he effective? You bet

Well, that went well! After all the predictions of disaster and doom, the much-anticipated White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese went off without a major hitch.

This, naturally, was bad news for those people in politics or in the media willing Albanese to fail, or hoping for one of the spectacular Oval Office blow-ups we have become accustomed to this year.

As our US correspondent Michael Koziol reported this week, the government was delighted by the meeting after Trump instructed the Pentagon to move “full steam ahead” with the AUKUS defence pact, praised the nation as an “amazing ally” and embraced Albanese as a friend.

The share prices of Australian critical minerals companies also surged after the announcement of major joint investments. And in a televised Q&A at the start of the working lunch, Trump was unfussed about Australia’s level of defence spending — despite past pleas for Canberra to spend more — and relaxed about Chinese aggression in the region, saying he did not expect President Xi Jinping to make a play for Taiwan.

Albanese has copped a lot of criticism for the length of time it has taken him to meet Trump since the president was inaugurated at the start of this year. I think there was validity to some of that criticism, given the importance of a strong relationship between Canberra and Washington. But it turns out a delayed meeting in no way counted against Albanese, or Australia’s interests.

The only awkward moment for the government was when Sky News reporter Andrew Clennell asked Trump why it had taken so long to get together, and whether past critical comments by Australia’s US ambassador Kevin Rudd was one of the factors. Clennell is a very good and experienced reporter, but it’s worth noting that Sky News, and News Corp, have a long history of animosity towards Rudd.

It was telling that Trump initially had no idea what Rudd had said in the past (he once called Trump a village idiot and traitor to the West). Trump’s lack of awareness of what Rudd said — or who he even was — really blows up the argument advanced by some over the course of this year that Trump hated our ambassador and that explained why Albanese was struggling to meet the president.

After being told Rudd had “said bad” about the president, Trump looked at him and said he didn’t like him and probably never would. It was an awkward moment but lacked the venom and seriousness the president has dished out to other leaders and officials who visit the White House. When the cameras went away, Trump told Rudd all was forgiven.

Rudd is not everyone’s cup of tea. But is he effective? You bet. Even some of his political opponents recognise how hard he works and how effective he has been at navigating the Washington bubble.

It was a sign of how lost the federal opposition is right now that they initially called for Rudd to be recalled after the White House meeting. It was churlish and entirely divorced from reality.

In a piece exploring how Beijing had drawn Trump and Albanese closer, political and international editor Peter Hartcher also touched on the absurdity of the Rudd hysteria.

“The Coalition can’t see past its own tribal fetishes,” Peter wrote. “Have they breathed a word of criticism against Trump for failing to appoint an ambassador to Australia? No. Have they suggested a better alternative to Rudd? No. So should we take them seriously? The question answers itself.”

Trump is a volatile figure and the relationship could sour at any moment. But for now, this week was an unmitigated success for the Albanese government. And even Rudd will end the week with a big smile on his face.

While I have you, I wanted to congratulate the Herald’s many finalists in this year’s Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism. In total, the Herald and The Age have 21 journalists nominated across 12 categories, making up the largest number of finalists among commercial media organisations.

You can read our full list of finalists here. In a field of amazing nominees, I am particularly thrilled for Herald photographer Steven Siewert, who is finalist for press photographer of the year. Steven is a brilliant photographer whose work helps set the standard in our industry, and I want to leave you today with a few examples of his best work of late. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.