Donald Trump top adviser puts Kevin Rudd on notice after US ambassador deletes critical social media posts

One of Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers has put Kevin Rudd on notice, apparently hinting that the Australian ambassador’s time in the United States may be short-lived under the Republican President-elect.

Dan Scavino Jr, one of Mr Trump’s most senior campaign advisers and who served in the first Trump administration, aimed Mr Rudd with a clear message about his future as Australia’s ambassador to the US.

It appears the Republican loyalist took note of Mr Rudd’s disparaging comments about Mr Trump, made before he was appointed Australia’s ambassador in 2023.

Mr Rudd called Mr Trump “the most destructive president in history”, a “political liability”, a “problem to the world”, “traitor to the West”, and “village idiot” — which he made before he was appointed Australia’s ambassador in 2023.

After Mr Trump’s stunning election victory last week, Mr Rudd quietly deleted a number of negative commentary about the 78-year-old President-elect and then posted a congratulations message to the Republican ticket.

But Mr Scavino Jr has not let the ambassador off the hook.

He reposted Mr Rudd’s message to X with a GIF of an hourglass — suggesting the Australian’s days in the plum diplomatic position might be numbered.

The post is now pinned on Mr Scavino’s account.

Despite being a vocal critic of Mr Trump, Labor has put its full support behind Mr Rudd with a slate of senior ministers — including Prime Minister, and close ally, Anthony Albanese — declaring he had done a “terrific job” in Washington.

Earlier in the year, Mr Trump said Mr Rudd was “nasty” and “not the brightest bulb” after a UK interviewer told the former president about negative comments the Australian had made before becoming ambassador.

Asked whether he would take a phone call from Mr Rudd, Mr Trump said the Australian “won’t be there long” if he continued to speak ill of him.

Trump’s own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, told Sky News it would be “kind of hard” for Mr Rudd to continue in the Washington role if he hadn’t shown a “change of heart” towards her father-in-law.

But the Prime Minister has denied it would move Mr Rudd out of the job and insisted the government was “looking forward” to working with the returning Trump administration.

“I’ve demonstrated, I think, my ability to work with world leaders and to develop relationships with them, which are positive,” Mr Albanese said when asked by Sunrise host Nat Barr about apologising for his own disparaging comments about Mr Trump.

“And I think that I’ve demonstrated in the two-and-a-half years that I’ve had the honour of being Prime Minister.”

Mr Scavino Jr worked as White House deputy chief of staff for communications for Trump from 2020 to 2021. From 2017 he was in charge of the administration’s social media.

He has also been a senior adviser to the Republican’s 2024 re-election campaign and is likely to be named for a plum role in the upcoming administration.