A new episode was marked by Donald Trump, who had a verbal confrontation with Australia’s ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd, on Monday during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Asked by an Australian reporter whether he had concerns about the Albanese administration, including Rudd’s past criticism of him, Trump said: “I don’t know anything about him,” apparently unaware that Rudd was in the room.

Trump then asked if Rudd was still working for the Australian government, with the latter replying: “Those comments were made before I took office, Mr. President.”

Trump then responded: “I don’t like you either and I probably never will” during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Oval Office.

Rudd had drawn Trump’s ire as early as 2020 with posts on social media, which he later deleted, in which he had called him, as a former prime minister, “the most destructive president in history.”

When asked about the comments last year, Trump called Rudd “a badass” and “not the brightest mind in the room,” adding at the time that Rudd, who became ambassador to Washington in March 2023, “won’t be around long if all of this is true.”

The episode comes as Albanese tries to strengthen relations with the Trump administration, which is reassessing the US role in the AUKUS alliance with Australia and the UK.

The two leaders also signed an agreement on Monday to strengthen cooperation on rare earths and critical minerals.