Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he had a "warm conversation" with U.S. President Donald Trump on tariffs and the AUKUS defense pact after his center-left Labor party decisively beat the conservatives in a weekend election.
Albanese was returned to office for a second term in a stunning comeback against the conservative Liberal-National coalition, which was ahead in polls as recently as February.
"I had a warm and positive conversation with President Trump ... and I thank him for his very warm message of congratulations," Albanese said during a media briefing. "We talked about how AUKUS and tariffs will continue to engage, we will engage with each other on a face-to-face basis at some time in the future. And I thank him for reaching out in such a positive way."
Albanese's government in 2023 committed to spend A$368 billion ($238 billion) over three decades on AUKUS, Australia's biggest ever defense project with the United States and Britain, to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Cost-of-living pressures and concerns about Trump's policies had been among the top issues in the Australian election, polls showed.
About 48% of voters picked the uncertainties triggered by Trump as one of their top five concerns, one survey said, after his tariff plans sent shockwaves through global markets and raised concerns of voters on the impact on their pension funds.
Trump said earlier on Monday he did not know anything about the Australian election, though he praised Albanese.
"I don't know anything about the election other than the man that won, he's very good," Trump told reporters at the White House after disembarking from the Marine One helicopter.
"Albanese I'm very friendly with ... I can only say that he's been very, very nice to me, very respectful to me."
The United States enjoys a trade surplus with Australia but imposed a 10% tariff in April prompting Albanese to call it "not the act of a friend."
Labor is leading in 85 electorates in the 150-seat lower house as of Monday morning, as vote counting continued, data showed. At least a dozen seats are too close to call, with more than three-quarters of votes tallied.
Albanese, Australia's first prime minister to win a second consecutive term in two decades, had struggled to lift ratings through 2024 as households grappled with high costs.
But inflation eased this year, and polls reversed in March after the conservatives unveiled proposals to slash the government workforce and ban federal employees from working from home, which was compared to Trump's policies.
The shadow of Trump likely cost opposition leader Peter Dutton his seat, mirroring the Trump backlash in Canada's election a week earlier, say analysts.
Opposition lawmaker Jason Wood, who is leading in his electorate in Melbourne's southeast, said his party initially thought Trump's election could boost the party's fortunes, but those hopes were never realized.
"We would never have thought we would have had the fallout with Trump on ... tariffs," Wood told ABC Radio.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
11 Comments
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Jay
Well, while Albo’s busy being the 'warm' diplomat, Aussies won’t be so warm this winter when his green tyranny sends power bills through the roof and his government keeps turning a blind eye to Chinese “investors” snapping up our housing market, frezezing everyday AUSTRALIANS out of owning a home in their OWN country. Albo: selling smiles abroad while selling Aussies out at home.
Peter Neil
It’s not in the media much, there are so many exemptions to tariffs now that it’s hard to keep track of them every day. Trump is basically caving one-by-one under the radar.
lincolnman
Trump must have been in a super good mood since he didn't have a tantrum when you congratulated him on getting TWO Libs elected...
GuruMick
Yes Jay...gotta watch those "Chinese investors " buying up Australia.
There is data on this obviously, the Australian Government has records.
From memory, the Belgiums out invest Chinese in Australia.
How about that eh ?
Gotta watch those Belgiums
GuruMick
Department of Foreign Investment figures for Australia.
Rounded up...USA 25% , UK 20%, ......all the way down to Hong Kong around 6%.
Buying a house in Australia as a foreign national requires Taxation Office checks and approval.
If you hold Australian citizenship, but may be "Chinese " in appearance, the Australian Racial Profile Association, privately run citizens group, may take an interest......ROFLMFAO!!!!!
Jay
There sure is, and according to FIRB data, China has consistently ranked as the top source of real estate investment in Australia, particularly in residential and agricultural land. In some years, Chinese buyers have outspent every other foreign nation COMBINED, with billion-dollar stakes in property, energy, and infrastructure.
But what I want to know Mick, why do you get so defensive every time someone calls out Chinese influence? What’s your interest in defending the Chinese against things that are actually backed by cold, hard data? Be upfront and honest.
Blacklabel
I don’t sense the requisite amount of Trump hate and disdain from this guy.
and Trump seems to be fine with him.
Peter14
Any Chinese influence in Australia is being rolled back. The 99 year lease on the port of Darwin is forcefully being nationalized and brought back under complete Australian control.
Both the prime minister and opposition leader have announced plans to return the Port of Darwin into Australian hands if re-elected.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-04/albanese-vows-to-return-port-of-darwin-to-australia-election/105140260
Australia may be growing up. It is learning that it must have control of its national assets rather than selling them off to foreign nations or companies.
China's CCP is not trusted by Australians, and we recognize the CCP ability to force Chinese companies to do everything they want at any time, without due process or judiciary independence.
Underworld
Blacklabel
Why would he? Thanks to Trump he won in a landslide.
Starbucks
I don’t sense the requisite amount of Trump hate and disdain from this guy.
A diplomat instead of an imbecile.
lincolnman
Give him time...he'll insult and demean Australians just like he did Canadians...
But as my old RAAF buddies used to tell me, "we're Aussies, we ain't as polite as the rest of the Commonwealth"...
He was fine with Mike Pence too...