Sky News host Danica De Giorgio reacts after Trump pollster revealed US President ‘doesn't like' Ambassador Kevin Rudd
Sky News host Danica De Giorgio has savaged Australia's Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd after Donald Trump's former pollster revealed the President 'doesn't like' him.
On Monday, renowned US pollster Brent Buchanan told Sky News Australia Mr Rudd's presence in Washington was the reason Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been unable to schedule a face-to-face meeting with the US President.
'I think he doesn't like the current ambassador, and that's one of the biggest issues,' Mr Buchanan said.
'Donald Trump needs to find an Australian that he likes - or Australia needs to find an Australian that Donald Trump likes and let that person take point - because so much with Donald Trump is personal relationships.'
De Giorgio questioned why Trump would 'bother' to meet Mr Albanese after Ambassador Rudd called Trump a 'village idiot' and a 'traitor to the West'.
'I mean, no wonder Trump did not bother to meet with Albo this month in Canada. Why would he bother?' De Giorgio said.
De Giorgio said Australia's relationship with the US was on 'shaky grounds' and largely blamed Ambassador Rudd and the Prime Minister's hesitance to meet with the President.
'Kevin Rudd is the problem,' she said.
Earlier, Mr Buchanan said Mr Rudd was critical in opening doors to the Trump administration for "certain countries", flagging Australia was struggling to establish a direct line with the President due to Rudd's previous scathing commentary.
'But Donald Trump's a deal maker, and so if you bring a deal, he's going to talk through it,' he said.
Mr Buchanan said that the one positive for Rudd was that he's a China expert, which was 'a great opportunity to build relationships with our Congress ... which is anti-China'.
The Sky News host said the calls for Mr Albanese to meet with the US President did not just come from voices in Australia, but from the Capitol in Washington as well.
Two senior US lawmakers, Republican Michael McCaul and Democrat Joe Courtney, have issued a bipartisan plea for the Prime Minister to prioritise a White House visit.
The pair said President Trump valued one-on-one visits and his style of diplomatic relations hinged on face-to-face talks, given his background as a businessman and dealmaker.
'For [Albanese] to come to the White House would be a great gesture on the prime minister's part, that I think would go over very well,' McCaul said in an interview.
'That would be very sound advice for him to do that.'
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