Australia’s ambassador in Washington, Kevin Rudd, deleted comments he previously made about Donald Trump after the Republican’s election win, saying on Thursday they did not reflect the view of the Australian government.

Rudd, a former prime minister, had previously made the comments about Trump in his capacity as the head of a US-based thinktank, a statement on his personal website said.

Among the deleted comments, Rudd had in 2020 described Trump as “the most destructive president in history”.

“Out of respect for the office of President of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels,” the statement said.

Rudd wanted to “eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as Ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian Government”, it added.

Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said on Thursday the centre-left government led by Anthony Albanese was confident of its alliance with the US, its biggest security partner, including the Aukus deal in which Australia will buy nuclear powered submarines from the US next decade.

Wong said in radio and television interviews on Thursday she had met during the election campaign with Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state in the previous Trump administration, and there was bipartisan support for Aukus.