The prime minister says he received a “very warm” congratulatory phone call from US President Donald Trump, but says his first overseas visit in the wake of his historic election win will be to Jakarta rather than Washington, DC.
Anthony Albanese also confirmed that he had accepted an invitation from Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to attend the G7 leaders meeting in Alberta next month — which could open up an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump in either Canada or the US.
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The prime minister told reporters that he raised both AUKUS and the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs with the US president during a “very warm” exchange.
“We talked about AUKUS and tariffs and will continue to engage, we’ll engage with each other on a face-to-face basis at some time in the future,”
he said.
“But it was very warm … I thank him for reaching out in such a positive way as well.”
But he would not be drawn on any detail of the phone, or say whether he’d secured any commitments from the US president on trade.
Mr Albanese lashed the 10 per cent tariffs on Australia when they were unveiled by Mr Trump as part of his sweeping “Liberation Day” announcements, saying they were not the act of a friend — but he has also pledged to work with the Trump Administration to try and strike a deal.
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Earlier on Monday, the US president brushed off a question from a reporter on whether his actions had influenced the result in Australia, simply saying he “didn’t know” anything about the election, other than calling Mr Albanese “very good” and a “friend.”
“I can only say that he’s been very, very nice to me, very respectful to me,” Mr Trump said.
“I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him. And, you know, we’ve had a very good relationship.”
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The prime minister also suggested the president lavished praise on him during the call.
“It was very generous in his personal warmth and praise towards myself. He was fully aware of the outcome and he expressed the desire to continue to work with me in the future.”
Donald Trump downplayed his influence on the Australian election. (AP: Charlie Neibergall/File)
Mr Albanese said he had received congratulatory phone calls from a host of leaders, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Mr Albanese opened his first stint in power with a visit to Jakarta, and Mr Albanese said he would do the same thing this time as well.
“My first international visit will be just like last time [and] my first bilateral was to Indonesia,” he said.
“That was something that President Prabowo and I had discussed before. It’s something I intend to do.”
“Our region is so important. The relationships that we have built are so important.”
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