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What happened at the White House meeting
By Michael Koziol
Washington: Here’s a recap of today’s meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Firm friends.Credit: Getty Images
- The landmark critical minerals deal paves the way for joint rare earths projects between the two countries, as well as US projects in Australia. Albanese said Australia and the US would each contribute $US1 billion ($1.54 billion) over the next six months for projects that are immediately available, and the deal would unlock an $US8.5 billion pipeline of projects.
- Trump was also relaxed about the threat from China, saying that while he saw AUKUS as a bulwark against Chinese aggression, he didn’t think President Xi Jinping would try to take Taiwan. “I think we’ll be just fine with China,” he said.
- The meeting was briefly soured by an awkward moment when Trump was asked about disparaging tweets Australia ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd had made about him in the past. Trump made light of the situation and asked whether the ambassador was still working with the government. It was then pointed out to him that Rudd was sitting at the table. Rudd acknowledged the comments but said they were before his current role.“You said bad?” Trump asked Rudd. “I don’t like you either, and probably never will.” The room laughed wholeheartedly – but Trump’s delivery had the air of seriousness about it.
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There were also tense moments with two reporters. Trump called this correspondent a “nasty guy” for trying to ask a second question, while he told The Nightly’s Latika Bourke she didn’t know anything about the Russia-Ukraine war, then told her to be “quiet”.
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Albanese invited Trump to visit Australia and the president said he would like to, and would give it serious consideration.
Here’s what was on the menu when Albanese lunched with Trump
By Michael Koziol
Following their on-camera Q&A, Trump, Albanese and their teams enjoyed a working lunch in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
The entree was a “fall green salad” with sunset tomatoes and “White House honey dressing”.
Anthony Albanese had a working lunch with US President Donald Trump.Credit: Bloomberg
For mains, they enjoyed rosemary roast chicken with celery root puree, asparagus, collard greens and a Dijon sauce.
Dessert was “Red Bartlett pear pavlova”, served with candied ginger ice cream and a berry compote.
Not exactly Trump’s beloved cheeseburgers and Diet Coke, but reviews from those who dined were positive.
‘Tongue-in-cheek’: Wong backs Rudd
By Brittany Busch
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has defended ambassador Kevin Rudd after Donald Trump said he didn’t like him – and probably never would.
“Anyone looking at that knows that was tongue-in-cheek. We heard the laughter. We know that we had a very successful meeting,” Wong told Today.
“Full credit to ambassador Rudd [who] has worked so hard. He’s worked so hard on ensuring AUKUS and the delivery of the submarines in our national interest.
“The success of this meeting is in great part due to the work that Kevin Rudd has been doing in the United States.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley earlier seized on Trump’s comments and said Rudd’s position as ambassador was untenable.
However, shortly after Rudd’s awkward White House encounter with Trump, Australian sources in the room told this masthead that the US president later said to the ambassador that “all’s forgiven”.
Wong dismisses concerns critical minerals deal will hurt China relationship
By Brittany Busch
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has dismissed concerns the critical minerals deal will damage Australia’s relationship with China, saying domestic interest was the priority.
“We act in our national interest, and it’s in our national interest to make sure we work with the United States to ensure security of supply of critical minerals,” Wong told Today.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“These are so important for the 21st century economy. They’re important for our defence industries, and they’re important for energy security.
“We are insuring the supply of critical minerals for our economies and a contribution to the US economy and to global supply. That’s a good thing.”
Wong’s comments came after former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos told Today that Beijing would not be pleased with the deal because it would challenge China’s domination of the industry.
Watch: Trump scolds Australian reporter
US President Donald Trump called our North America correspondent Michael Koziol a “nasty guy” for trying to ask a second question. Watch the interaction here.
Ley calls for more details on critical minerals deal
By Brittany Busch
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she welcomed the critical minerals deal, but more information about the agreement was needed.
“It’s important that we unpack the detail of what was agreed today,” Ley told Sky News.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.Credit: AAP
“This is just the first step, and we see approvals and investment grinding to a halt in this country because of this government’s approach to environmental approvals.
“We see a critical pipeline of investment drying up. We will need that investment to come to the fore to make this a success, and indeed to make all of the other projects that Australia’s national interest and national income depends on.”
‘Punchline of the joke’: Ley says Rudd’s position is untenable
By Brittany Busch
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has seized on Trump’s comments to ambassador Kevin Rudd, saying the former prime minister’s continuation in the role was untenable.
“It’s taken nearly a year to get this meeting, and that’s been a failure of the ambassador,” Ley told Sky News.
“When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him, I think that tells us all we need to know about the fact that it’s probably not reasonable that he continue in the role, because there are critically important issues to address.”
‘China won’t like’ critical minerals deal: Sinodinos
By Brittany Busch
Former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said the critical minerals deal announcement was a win for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – without the prime minister needing to fawn over Donald Trump.
“Kudos to everybody involved in getting that [deal] over the line,” he told Today.
“I think it was handled well, and the critical minerals deal meant there was something positive they could announce, and I think that created the right atmosphere.”
Sinodinos said China would not be pleased with the deal with the US because it would challenge China’s domination of the industry.
“China won’t like it, because what we’re doing is co-operating with the US and indeed other countries to reduce our dependence on supply chains, which, for many critical minerals go through China,” Sinodinos said.
“China has dominated those supply chains for a long time. They’ve manipulated the prices. They’re critical, these minerals, to all sorts of defence and other high-tech applications.
“So it’s important for us to have a sovereign capability in this area, and this is a great deal.”
Anthony Albanese, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.Credit: Bloomberg
Sinodinos said Trump’s confirmation that AUKUS was proceeding – and even being expedited – was a welcome bonus.
“It’s fantastic that they’ve said what they’ve said about AUKUS. I think [Marco] Rubio, the [US] Secretary of State, played an important role in all of this, I suspect, behind the scenes. He was sitting next to the president, very supportive of Australia and of AUKUS.”
‘You live by the sword, you die by the sword’: Sinodinos on Rudd criticism
By Brittany Busch
Former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos has dismissed the severity of Trump’s comments about disliking ambassador Kevin Rudd, saying it was unlikely to result in any action from Albanese.
Arthur Sinodinos.Credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“Look, in this business, you live by the sword, you die by the sword,” Sinodinos told the Today show on Tuesday morning.
“Clearly, some remarks that Kevin had made in the past got picked up by the president, or he was reminded of them, and made his views very clear.
“I don’t think this means that Prime Minister Albanese is about to dump the ambassador, or anything like that.
“They’re very close, and it would look as if he was succumbing to pressure to do that.”
‘All’s forgiven’: Trump accepts Rudd apology over disparaging social posts
By Michael Koziol
It may be a case of all’s well that ends well regarding Kevin Rudd’s awkward encounter with Donald Trump over old posts in which he called Trump “destructive” and “a traitor to the West”.
Australian sources in the room say that after the cameras left, Trump gestured to Rudd and checked that he was the one who made the disparaging – and now deleted – tweets.
Trump told Rudd: ‘I don’t like you either, and probably never will.’Credit: Getty Images
“All’s forgiven,” the president said, according to the people in the room, while Rudd replied: “I apologise, Mr President.”
To be fair, it was not clear if Trump was being serious earlier when he told Rudd “I don’t like you either, and probably never will”.
It was one of those remarks that could have been read either way.
Inside Albanese’s extremely successful Trump meeting (with one glaring exception)
By Michael Koziol
Albanese’s meeting with Trump was nothing less than a raging success – with one awkward exception – North America correspondent Michael Koziol writes from inside the Washington Cabinet Room.
The prime minster achieved everything he came to Washington to do: he inked a landmark critical minerals deal, secured the US president’s emphatic support for the AUKUS defence pact, and shared an apparently genuine camaraderie with Trump – who called Australia “an amazing ally”.
Anthony Albanese received a warm welcome to the White House.Credit: Bloomberg
“There’s never been any games,” Trump enthused at one point. “There are some games with other countries, but there haven’t been games with Australia.”
Read Michael Koziol’s analysis of the long-awaited meeting here.
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