Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with US President Donald Trump at a reception for world leaders in New York on Tuesday evening, hours after confirming a formal meeting in Washington DC next month. The two leaders came face-to-face at Trump's welcome reception for the UN General Assembly, with Albanese posting a selfie on Instagram captioned: "Good to chat with President Donald Trump at US welcome reception for world leaders attending United Nations General Assembly."
The White House confirmed the formal meeting is scheduled for 20 October, marking Albanese's third visit to the US in six months. The meeting was arranged after Albanese was initially left off Trump's schedule for the New York visit. During the reception, the two leaders discussed their upcoming meeting, which is expected to cover the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, Trump's demands for Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, and US trade tariffs.
Trump's address to the UN earlier on Tuesday criticised allies, including Australia, for recognising Palestinian statehood, urging instead a focus on securing the release of hostages taken by Hamas in the 7 October attacks. He also attacked climate change policies as a "scam" and mocked carbon footprint measurements as a "hoax." Albanese said it was a privilege to hear Trump's views, stating: "It was a great privilege to be at the United Nations this morning to hear President Trump and other leaders put forward their perspectives."
Trump's 57-minute speech, described as rambling and resembling a campaign rally, included insults towards the UN, predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and a mention of his Nobel peace prize bid. He warned countries against the "green energy scam" and claimed climate change was "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world." On migration, he warned that countries were being ruined by new arrivals, claiming some in the UK were seeking sharia law.
