Trump tears into Australian ambassador who badmouthed him while signing rare-earth minerals deal
WASHINGTON — President Trump tore into a foreign ambassador on Monday who badmouthed him in the past after signing a multibillion-dollar, rare-earth and critical minerals deal with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.“Did an ambassador say something bad about me?” Trump asked Albanese when a journalist mentioned Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd’s prior remarks vilifying the 45th and 47th president.“Where is he? Is he still working for you?”Albanese informed Trump that Rudd, a former prime minister and Australia’s top diplomat in Washington since 2023, was sitting across the table, prompting Trump to ask, “You said bad?”“Before I took this position, Mr.
President,” Rudd attempted to explain, before Trump cut him off mid-sentence.“I don’t like you either.I don’t.
And I probably never will,” Trump said before calling on reporter to ask another question.Rudd in 2021 referred to Trump as the “village idiot,” among many other derogatory remarks, including declaring him the “most destructive president in history.”Moments earlier, Albanese and Trump signed an agreement to boost cooperation on the mining and processing of rare-earth and critical minerals — including putting up a combined $2 billion in investment pledges to counter Chinese dominance of the supply chain.The deal follows China’s new trade policies announced this month requiring companies to seek permission before exporting material made with the minerals, including magnets, batteries and semiconductors — drawing a 100% tariff threat by Trump if Beijing doesn’t change course.China currently controls more than two-thirds of the world’s rare-earth mining, which is essential for high-tech manufacturing.
It also controls an estimated 90% of all global processing.The US-Australia framework says the nations will cooperate to “identify projects of interest to address gaps in priority supply chains” and to “accelerate, streamline, or deregulate pe...