Trump calls Albanese ‘a good man’ after latest call

US President Donald Trump has praised Anthony Albanese arsenic a “good man” aft the two leaders racked up their 4th one-on-one telephone call.

The premier curate described his latest speech with Trump much than a week agone arsenic “really warm”.

The US president was leaving the White House overnight connected Friday, Australian time, when helium made the comments astir Albanese.

“He’s a bully man,” helium told a Nine correspondent.

Albanese is yet to person a face-to-face gathering with Trump aft their antecedently planned sit-down, connected the sidelines of the G7 successful Canada successful June, was cancelled owed to escalating struggle betwixt Israel and Iran.

The national authorities is yet to corroborate immoderate caller face-to-face betwixt the brace when the premier curate visits New York aboriginal successful September for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Trump has publically remained affirmative astir Albanese, though tensions stay implicit tariffs imposed connected Australian exports and a multibillion-dollar submarine woody under the AUKUS information pact.

Under the tariffs regime, Australian goods sent to the US pull a baseline levy of 10 per cent while importers of Australian steel and aluminium wage 50 per cent.

Responding to the US president’s comments, Albanese said he’s had “respectful relations” with Trump.

“We person had 4 discussions that person been truly warm, the past 1 was conscionable implicit a week ago,” helium told reporters successful Cairns connected Friday.

“I look guardant to continuing to prosecute with the United States.

“We’ve engaged arsenic well with his administration.

“The narration with the United States is an important 1 for Australia.”

Australia will proceed to marque its lawsuit connected the tariffs and advocator for the AUKUS pact, the premier curate said.

The White House has not yet provided an authoritative readout connected the call.

Australia has diverged from the US connected the Middle East, pursuing Labor’s determination to recognise a Palestinian state astatine the UN gathering.

The determination has drawn expressions of “disappointment and disgust” from those within the Trump administration.

Disagreements besides stay implicit Australia’s defence spending aft the authorities rebuffed US calls to determination successful billions of other dollars.

Defence Minister Richard Marles was told by his US counterpart Pete Hegseth to massively boost the defence fund to 3.5 per cent of gross home product.

Australia presently spends astir two per cent of its GDP connected defence, and is connected track to summation that to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34.

The authorities besides awaits the findings of a Pentagon reappraisal into the atomic submarine deal, under which Australia has been promised Virginia-class boats.

Defence analysts uncertainty the Trump medication will tear up the $368 cardinal submarine program, but mightiness request a larger fiscal publication from Australia for US shipbuilding.

Source: AAP