Bilateral talks between Australia and the United States are the domestic focus today, but they are also a significant step in the process of shoring up friendships as US President Donald Trump prepares for another one-on-one meeting.
By the end of this month, Trump is expected to be in the room with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea for their own face-to-face discussions.
A deal struck in Washington to rival China’s critical minerals dominance and the full-throated support for the AUKUS submarines, commissioned to counter China’s military build-up, will not be lost on the Chinese president.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been soaking up presidential praise in the gold-embossed White House cabinet room, even as the man he appointed as ambassador to the US faced a very different fate.
Trump was flanked by members of his political inner sanctum as he sat side by side with Albanese and delivered a lavish verbal embrace.
“He [Albanese] is highly respected,” Trump told his guests and a crush of Australian and US reporters.
Going on to describe Albanese as “very popular” and doing a “fantastic job”.
On the alliance more broadly, declaring there’s “never been anybody better” than Australia towards the US.
“We’re strongly committed and they’re strongly committed and there are some games with other countries, but there haven’t been games with Australia,” Trump said.
US President Donald Trump sat down with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the first time. Source: AP / Evan Vucci
Albanese also delivered a glowing report with platitudes for Trump’s “extraordinary achievement” in the Middle East and drawing parallels in policy.
“What we are trying to do here is to take the opportunities which are there,” he said.
“Australia has had a view for some time, it’s similar to putting America first, our plan is called a Future Made in Australia.”
Early risk of situation becoming unpredictable
The meeting had initially been planned for the Oval Office but was moved at the last minute.
Things threatened to change tone when reporting equipment came into contact with one of the many ornate artefacts in the room.
“That mirror is 400 years old,” Trump lamented.
“I just moved it up here special, from the vaults, and the first thing that happens is a camera hits it, hard to believe.”
But there was no broken mirror or bad luck for Albanese who went on to get first-person assurances on camera from Trump about the future of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine agreement. He also managed to broker a critical minerals deal signed on the spot with co-investment in project to utilise Australia’s rich deposits.
While the AUKUS deal has raised questions about how heavily Australia would be involved in providing weaponry and working in tandem with the US in the event of an Indo-Pacific conflict, Trump brushed off any likelihood of China moving to invade Taiwan saying he didn’t think Xi would go ahead with any annexation moves.
There was no indication tariffs on Australia would be relaxed, as Trump was keen to underscore Australia’s easy ride compared to many other nations.
But former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who’s been working the political angles to help smooth the alliance in the US since the re-emergence of Trump as president, found himself across the table and in the presidential firing line.
When Rudd’s previous criticism of Trump was raised, the US president didn’t hold back.
“If he said bad then maybe he would like to apologise,” Trump said.
Turning to Albanese, Trump asked if he was still working in Washington, and was informed Rudd was in fact on the other side of the table.
Rudd responded the comments were made before he held the ambassadorship.
There was laughter in the room and Trump finished his critique saying: “I don’t like you either, I don’t, and I probably never will.”
As reporters were rushed from the press event, Rudd was overheard apologising to Trump.
An Australian government official told SBS News just before the apology Trump said: “All is forgiven.”
It was a brief but tense exchange amidst a rosy and cosy review of the alliance, and largely a successful diplomatic foray for Albanese.
