AUKUS, China and Kevin: Australia’s contingency plan for Trump
The growing momentum of the former president's campaign is prompting senior figures in the Albanese government to ponder the ramifications of a second Donald Trump presidency.
The downfall of Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, Kim Darroch, provides a cautionary tale for Australia’s current man in Washington, Kevin Rudd.
In July 2019, the The Mail on Sunday published leaked diplomatic cables written by Darroch in which he described Donald Trump as “inept”, “insecure” and “incompetent”. Three days later he resigned, after Trump said he would no longer deal with him.
Rudd may well be wondering whether previous comments of his own will result in a similar fate. Before taking up the Washington post, Rudd described Trump as “nuts”, a “traitor to the West” and “the most destructive president in history”.
Trump’s decisive win in the first two Republican primary contests means he’s a near-certainty to be the Republican nominee for president, setting up a November election rematch with President Joe Biden that the Australian government assesses is a 50-50 proposition.
