Anthony Albanese has strongly endorsed his hand-picked ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, seeking to draw a line under Monday's awkward encounter with Donald Trump.
Revealing he gave the US president and his wife Melania a model submarine, jewellery and "ugg-booties" for their newest grandchild, Mr Albanese declared the two-day visit to Washington DC a "success" and said his talks with Mr Trump were "positive and constructive".
While the bilateral meeting between the two leaders went smoothly, Mr Rudd inadvertently generated headlines when he was scolded by Mr Trump over past social media posts that were highly critical of the president.
Asked to respond to the now-deleted criticisms on X, Mr Trump – who at first did not realise that Mr Rudd was seated opposite him in the White House Cabinet Room – asked the ambassador: "You said bad?"
"I don't like you either, and I probably never will," Mr Trump said, prompting awkward laughter around the table.
As the media was herded out of the room, Mr Rudd could be overheard apologising directly to the president.
According to Mr Albanese, Mr Trump offered his forgiveness.
"Some of you heard that, some of you reported that," Mr Albanese told reporters in Washington DC on Tuesday afternoon, local time, shortly before he was due to begin his journey home from the US capital.
"Kevin Rudd is doing a fantastic job as the ambassador and I've got to say, up on The Hill, every single person who we met with and the people who spoke this morning all say exactly the same thing."
Earlier, at a Friends of Australia breakfast function, Mr Albanese personally thanked Mr Rudd – a longtime political ally – for laying the groundwork for the two-day visit.
"If there's a harder working ambassador on The Hill, then please let me know, because Kevin works his guts out and he seems to know everyone," Mr Albanese told the gathering of Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
Veteran Republican Michael McCaul backed Mr Albanese, saying he was glad Mr Rudd was still "gainfully employed" and added that "Kevin was there every step of the way" on the massive AUKUS submarine agreement.
On Tuesday Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told Sky News Mr Rudd should consider his future.
Mr Rudd began his four-year term in March 2023 and Mr Albanese batted away suggestions he should be sacked.
Mr Albanese also hailed the renewed US commitment to the AUKUS defence pact.
The trilateral partnership, which will cost Australia an estimated $378 billion, has been the subject of reviews in the United Kingdom and US and has vocal critics at home.
Last year Paul Keating told the ABC's 7.30 program it was "the worst deal in all history" and warned that persevering with it could alienate Australia from its largest trading partner, China.
The first pillar of AUKUS centres on beefing up submarine development and manufacturing capabilities across all three countries, which some analysts have warned could provoke Beijing.
But on Tuesday Mr Albanese said AUKUS was not designed to combat any one country.
"I think the AUKUS agreement is about our national security and is about a more secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific region," he said.
"I think it's a more secured region when you have a stronger presence, and that is what it's about."
Mr Albanese also lauded the multi-billion dollar minerals deal he signed with Mr Trump at the White House on Monday, which was designed to ramp up Australia's ability to process what it dug out of the ground.
At the moment China dominates that global supply chain.
"Australia and the United States will provide a combined $3 billion towards an $8.5-billion future pipeline of priority critical minerals projects in Australia and that is just already what we have identified," Mr Albanese said on Tuesday.
"We see this as just the start, not the end."
Mr Albanese said he spent about three hours with Mr Trump on Monday, local time, and had discussions with other key stakeholders in the US government, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance, who delayed a trip to the Middle East to meet Australia's delegation.
