Pressure is mounting for Anthony Albanese to fire Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd – but the prime minister’s stubbornness will likely prevent that from happening.

After nominating Rudd, ignoring advice from key colleagues not to do so, Albo then doubled down and insisted that Rudd would not go anywhere before the US election.

At the time, the Prime Minister thought Kamala Harris would win, but Trump’s victory highlights Albo’s stupidity in going to the wall before the result was known.

Now you have key Trump aides dropping worrying suggestions about Rudd’s future – making an already awkward relationship between Albo and the new US president even more uncomfortable.

Rudd has previously described Trump as a “traitor to the West,” a “village idiot” and a “political liability.” It turns out that Rudd is now the political boss – having been appointed Australia’s chief diplomatic bureaucrat to the United States, responsible for maintaining good relations with our main ally.

If you like Albanese, you’ll be inclined to view his continued support of Rudd as evidence of loyalty and praise him for it.

If you’re not inclined to that, the only way to see Albo’s support for keeping the former prime minister in Washington DC is to think he’s doubling down on his decision in the first place.

Unwilling to admit his mistake, Albo is unlikely to take a step back despite the pressure to sack Rudd.

Ever-loyal Anthony Albanese unlikely to take a step back despite growing storm over Rudd’s future

This will only change if the president himself demands Rudd’s departure.

But Trump is unlikely to do so, and certainly not publicly. Because that would raise obvious questions about all sorts of Trump appointees who have previously criticized the president-elect.

This includes his vice president and running mate, JD Vance, who previously suggested that Trump was a Nazi. An insult worse than anything Rudd had to say.

Just because Trump won’t personally appoint Rudd’s boss doesn’t mean it’s in Australia’s interests to leave him there.

This is clearly not the case. There is little chance that Rudd will be able to form the kind of relationship with Team Trump that our country will need in the years to come.

All this at a time when geopolitical tensions are high and Trump has announced plans to increase tariffs, which would cripple Australian exports.

So in a sense, whether it’s loyalty or stubbornness on the part of the prime minister, or a bit of each, Albo prioritizes partner preference and pride over national interest. In other words, it’s terrible.

Albanese has been a supporter of Rudd since his time as Prime Minister (above with his wife Thérèse Rein at the height of her powers)

The refusal to admit one’s mistake in appointing someone like Rudd, only to compound the mistake by claiming he’s going nowhere – even before the US election results are in – serves as a reminder to many others similar errors. Albo had done it.

Examples of poor judgment include accepting two dozen business class upgrades from Qantas for personal travel, purchasing a $4.3 million waterfront vacation home during a crisis of housing, his son’s membership in the president’s lounge while the public persona of the Prime Minister is supposed to present him as a “man”. of the People”, and of course the decision to bring indigenous voices to parliament, despite clear evidence that this would fail and set back indigenous rights by decades.

Each of the above events was predictable, but Albo ignored attempts to mitigate his actions because of his stubbornness or stupidity, or a bit of both.

The Prime Minister believes it is a show of character to stand with Rudd. Yes, but not in the way Albo thinks.

This once again reveals his sense of entitlement. He is Prime Minister, he chooses the American ambassador. So damn anyone who thinks this decision should be driven by national interest rather than a political partner.