Matt Canavan delivers scathing Rudd assessment after unearthed footage of comments about Trump

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has slammed Australia's Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd as “damaged goods” following revelations Mr Rudd called to remove Donald Trump as president during his first term in office. “I want all of our ambassadors to succeed on behalf of our country and I have in fact defended Kevin Rudd over the last 24 hours and at least in terms of the examples we have seen,” Mr Canavan told Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson. “Obviously, he has made some character assessments of Donald Trump, but I think people misinterpret Donald Trump and his reactions sometimes. “Some of his closest confidants right now issued scathing character assessments of him in the years past, he can actually get over things if there is a mutual interest in doing so. “But what you have revealed tonight is a different category at all, and I am not sure if Kevin can continue now … he called for the removal of a sitting president, it was almost like a coup, he called for a coup almost within the United States. “How can anybody that has such views be appointed as a diplomat to that nation … clearly now he is damaged goods.”