Anthony Albanese has described his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump as a success, with the US president offering unexpected praise for the Australian prime minister and endorsing the Aukus submarine deal. Speaking after the encounter in Washington, Albanese joked he might use the president’s comments in future campaign advertisements, though such a move appears unlikely given his previous election strategy of comparing his opponent to Trump.
Trump was in a buoyant mood, calling Albanese a “great prime minister” and Australia an “amazing ally” with whom “there’s never been any games”. He waved away concerns about Australian defence spending, saying “you can only do so much”, and gave his backing to the Aukus pact, suggesting it should move faster. The two leaders also signed a critical minerals agreement that will see billions of US investment flow into Australia.
However, the visit was not without its awkward moments. Trump told Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, “I don’t like you”, in what appeared to be a theatrical aside, though the president later said “all is forgiven”. Opposition leader Sussan Ley criticised the prime minister for failing to secure further tariff reductions and claimed Rudd had been ineffective, but the government pointed to the positive tone of the meeting as evidence that bilateral ties remain strong.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, uncertainty persists over Aukus. US Navy Secretary John Phelan has called for “improving” the plan and “clarifying some of the ambiguity”, a comment Trump dismissed as “minor details”. The deal, which is expected to cost Australian taxpayers more than $360bn, remains under review, with the Australian government offering no further clarity on what changes might be sought.
Albanese, who travelled to Washington directly from a Pacific trip, acknowledged the “great honour” of the White House visit and praised Trump’s “extraordinary achievement” in securing a Middle East ceasefire. He avoided the slavish praise adopted by some other world leaders, but the visit has left his Labor colleagues divided, with some on the left expressing anger over what they view as a “shameful capitulation” on Aukus and critical minerals.
