Barnaby Joyce says ‘bipartisan concern' in US about PM meeting Trump
A Coalition heavyweight has called on Anthony Albanese to lock in a meeting with Donald Trump after two of the staunchest supporters of the US-Australia alliance urged the Prime Minister to visit Washington.
Six months have passed since Mr Trump's inauguration and Mr Albanese is yet to secure an in-person meeting with the US President.
Australian producers have been slugged with tariffs on most exports to the US, including duties of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and doubts loom large about the Trump administration's commitment to AUKUS.
The Albanese government has also made Australia an outlier in the West on defence spending, refusing to budge after Washington's request to hike it to 3.5 per cent of GDP amid alarm bells over China's military build-up.
Speaking to Australian media, Republican representative Michael McCaul and Democrat colleague Joe Courtney said Mr Albanese would benefit from a one-on-one with Mr Trump.
'For (Albanese) to come to the White House would be a great gesture on the Prime Minister's part, that I think would go over very well,' Mr McCaul told the Australian Financial Review.
'That would be very sound advice for him to do that.'
Mr McCaul and Mr Courtney are co-chairs of a congressional working group on AUKUS, which the Trump administration is reviewing.
Asked about the comments on Monday, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was 'sure the Prime Minister's very much looking forward to' meeting Mr Trump.
'We're awaiting confirmation of a suitable time, and I'm sure when that confirmation comes through, the Prime Minister will be very happy to visit Washington,' she told Seven's Sunrise.
'He's had a number of calls with President Trump.'
Ms Plibersek noted there had been numerous meetings at the ministerial level, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong's upcoming Quad summit in Washington.
She also praised Australia's ambassador, Kevin Rudd.
'Ambassador Rudd … is the Energiser Bunny of diplomacy,' Ms Plibersek said.
'He will be meeting with all of the members of the congress and Senate and people close to Donald Trump.
'There's a lot of communication going on both ways, but it's not the sort of thing where you just pop in with a plate of scones, hoping someone's home.'
But appearing opposite the senior minister, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce took a different view.
He said the approach was not good enough.
'Ambassador Rudd might be the Energiser Bunny, but he hasn't energised a meeting between President Trump and the Prime Minister of Australia,' Mr Joyce said.
'We've gotta do that. When two people either side of the political fence in the United States say 'you better get over here' – they've obviously got a genuine bipartisan concern.'
He also blasted Mr Albanese for having 'four meetings with the leader of China but no meetings with the President of the United States'.
Mr Albanese is finalising details for his state visit to China mid next month.
It will be his fourth meeting with Xi Jinping since winning power in 2022.
Asked at an early morning press conference if a meeting with Mr Trump was in the works, Mr Albanese replied: 'Yes.'
Originally published as 'Genuine bipartisan concern' in US about when PM will meet Donald Trump, Barnaby Joyce says
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