The Greens say the Trump administration is treating Australia with “contempt” after the Pentagon labelled a catch-up between Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a “happenstance encounter” rather than a meeting.

Mr Marles flew to Washington DC earlier this week on a hastily arranged visit to meet senior Trump Administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s office also flagged that he would meet with the Defence Secretary to discuss a host of issues, including AUKUS, critical mineral supply chains and America’s expanding military presence in Australia.

Marles open to defence spending hike after meeting Hegseth

Australia is on track to reach defence spending levels of 2.33 per cent of GDP by 2033-34 but for months the Trump Administration has pressured the government to get to at least three per cent of GDP. 

But Australian officials then struggled to pin down a time for a meeting with Mr Hegseth amid broader chaos and upheaval within the Pentagon.

Mr Marles eventually did catch up with the Defence Secretary after his official meeting with the Vice President, his office posting a photo on social media yesterday showing all three men smiling alongside Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.

The deputy minister’s office never called the engagement with Hegseth a “meeting” but said that Mr Marles took the chance to “reaffirm” Australia’s commitment to working with the secretary to further build the US relationship.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, a US defence official seemed to deliberately play down the significance of the exchange.

“We can confirm there was not a meeting. It was a happenstance encounter,” the US defence official said.

The Coalition has already pounced on the statement, with one source calling it a “clear signal of contempt” from the Trump administration amid broader strains between Australia and the US over defence spending.

The Greens’ defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, used the same word and said the incident was a deep embarrassment for Mr Marles.

“Our defence minister flies to Washington and can’t even get a meeting in the middle of the US review. That is the clearest indication of how Washington treats Australia under AUKUS,” Mr Shoebridge says.

“We are a source of funds, we are a source of bases for the United States, and they are treating us with contempt.”