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Budding friendship between victorious Albanese and Trump
7 May 2025
Winning and warmth seem to top policy alignment in President Trump’s assessment of the Australian election outcome. While newly re-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trump are on opposite sides of politics, when questioned about Australia’s recent election results, President Trump’s remarks centred on their closeness, saying, “Albanese, I’m very friendly with,” adding, “He’s a friend of mine.”
In their subsequent phone call this week, Albanese said it was a “very warm” discussion that touched on tariffs and AUKUS. Albanese identified friendship as a key metric when responding to Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs, saying they were “not the act of a friend.” The fact that Trump’s topline perception of Albanese is that of a friend bodes well for a close working relationship between the two allies.
Despite Albanese’s competitor Peter Dutton criticising Albanese, saying, “The prime minister is on his knees and can’t even get a phone call or a meeting with the President of the United States, our closest allies,” when Trump was asked about Dutton he said, “I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him.”
Prime Minister Albanese secured a historic victory through linking his political opponent to Trump while simultaneously maintaining a friendly relationship with the White House. Similar to how many looked at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a “Trump whisperer” in the first Trump administration, perhaps Albanese will be the leader to watch in the second.
Mari Koeck
Director, Engagement and Impact
Header image: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks alongside US President Joe Biden during a press conference on 25 October 2023 (credit: Anna Moneymaker for Getty Images).
"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."
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