Washington: There is no way to describe Anthony Albanese’s first proper meeting with Donald Trump as anything other than a raging success.
With one glaring exception, Albanese 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”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump appeared to share a genuine camaraderie.Credit: AAP
“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.”
The meeting was moved at late notice from the Oval Office to the Cabinet Room, where the two leaders could sit next to each other to sign the agreement on critical minerals. Five months in the making, it is set to unlock $8.5 billion in rare earth mining and processing, including joint US-Australian projects, US projects in Australia and even multinational endeavours.
And, in the presence of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Navy Secretary John Phelan, Trump emphatically committed to the AUKUS pact, including the sale of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. In fact, Trump said the deal had been progressing too slowly, and he wants to speed it up.
On the thorny subject of defence spending, Trump went nowhere near pressing Australia to do more – even when asked about it. He said he would like all countries to do more, but “you have to do what you have to do – you can only do so much”.
He went on to praise Australia’s investments in submarine and ship infrastructure, likely a reference to the government’s recent $12 billion announcement about AUKUS-ready upgrades to the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.
There was no immediate tariff relief in sight, with the president noting Australia already paid the lowest rate of any country. Australia maintains its position that it would like the tariffs to go, and that it supports “more trade, not more trade barriers”.
Albanese was joined at the table by Resources Minister Madeleine King, Industry Minister Tim Ayres, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Steven Kennedy and communications director Fiona Sugden.
A relaxed Albanese began the meeting by joking about driving the 50 metres or so from his accommodation at Blair House to the White House, as is custom, rather than walking. And later he joked that some of Trump’s praise for him was so effusive he would use it in his next political ad.
Invited to compare Albanese to predecessors Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull, Trump declined to do so, but said: “I think he’s doing a really good job … They [Australia] really have a great prime minister.”
But most Trump meetings with world leaders have an awkward moment, and this was no different. Indeed, this was more awkward than most.
Trump was asked by Sky News’ Andrew Clennell whether the nine-month wait for a bilateral meeting with Australia had anything to do with the country’s position on climate change or Palestine, or the disparaging comments once made by ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd – who was sitting at the table.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Trump would be asked about the time Rudd called him “the most destructive president in history” and “a traitor to the west”. Rudd deleted the tweets, which he wrote before he became ambassador.
Trump responded by saying he didn’t know anything about the posts or their author, and queried whether this ambassador was still on the government’s payroll. Rudd, sitting across the table from Trump, had to meekly raise his hand and fess up.
“You said bad?” Trump asked Rudd. Rudd replied: “Before I took this position, Mr President. I withdraw those statements.
“Trump then said: “I don’t like you either,” to laughter. “And I probably never will.” It was not entirely clear if Trump was being serious or speaking in jest.
The run-in with Rudd will no doubt dominate social media and TV coverage of the momentous meeting. And it must have been tremendously difficult for the ambassador and former PM, whom the Coalition has long accused of being a danger to Australia’s relationship with the Trump administration.
But perhaps it was better to get it out in the open and clear the air. After all, the meeting’s success is a testament not only to Albanese but to Rudd. His concerted efforts in Washington – whether in Congress or with senior members of the administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – have no doubt been pivotal to the critical minerals agreement signed today, and the affirmation of AUKUS.
And Rudd wasn’t the only one to cop it. Trump called this reporter a “nasty guy” while clamouring to ask a second question, while he told another Australian reporter that she didn’t know anything about the Russia-Ukraine war, and then told her to be “quiet”.
Escaping the White House unscathed is a tough task. But Albanese has done it, even if others have a few scars.
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