Donald Trump offered a friendly greeting in a phone call with Anthony Albanese after being elected the next president of the United States.
Trump, who will be sworn in for his second term as president on Jan. 20, told the Prime Minister “we’re going to be perfect friends.” News from heaven revealed.
The call, held around 10am Canberra time on Thursday, was the first between the two since Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.
The Labor government said the call to Albanese was one of the president-elect’s first to a world leader after Trump’s decisive victory.
On the call, the incoming president emphasized the importance of the strong and long-standing relationship between the United States and Australia.
the prime minister spoke about the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and noted that the United States had a trade surplus with Australia.
This last point could be crucial, as Trump’s promise to impose a 60 percent tariff on Chinese imports is a major concern for the Albanian government.
Any blow to China, which is Australia’s largest trading partner, will likely have consequences in Australia.
US President-elect Donald Trump (pictured) has sought to ease political tensions with Australia by offering a friendly greeting in a phone call with Anthony Albanese.
“A renewed US-China trade war is bad for the US and Chinese economies,” said analysts at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
“And what’s bad for China is bad for Australia, Korea and New Zealand because of their high exposure to Chinese domestic demand.”
There are fears a trade war between the United States and China could lead to higher interest rates and inflation for millions of Australians.
“Exports to the United States represent only 4 per cent of Australia’s total exports and may be free of Trump’s tariffs as Australia has a trade deficit with the United States,” said AMP chief economist Shane Oliver.
‘However, as an open economy with high trade exposure to China, Australia is vulnerable to an intensification of global trade wars under Trump, particularly if it weighs on demand for Chinese exports.
“Resource stocks would be most at risk and the Australian dollar would likely fall (further).”
What makes things more difficult, however, is the fact that Albanese was recorded saying that Trump “scares the hell out of me” while he was shadow transport and infrastructure minister in 2017.
Australian ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd has reportedly been encouraging former Prime Minister Scott Morrison to join a diplomatic charm offensive to woo the new Trump administration.
Morrison met former and now future President Trump in New York in October, and a day later, Rudd launched Morrison’s book Plans For Your Good at the Australian embassy in Washington.
The Labor government said the call to Albanese (pictured) was one of the president-elect’s first to a world leader after Trump’s decisive victory.
Among those attending that event were several of Trump’s former colleagues, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and close adviser Kellyanne Conway.
Rudd’s immediate future is less certain after Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.
Trump has previously suggested that Rudd may not be able to maintain his ambassadorial role when questioned by right-wing British politician Nigel Farage on GB News.
‘Things have changed in Australia. We have a Labor government. I think the previous ambassador, Joe Hockey, was a good friend of his. Now they have appointed Kevin Rudd,” said Mr Farage.
‘He has said the most horrible things; You were a destructive president, a traitor to the West, and now you are Australia’s ambassador to Washington.
Trump snapped: “I don’t know, it won’t be there for long if that’s the case.”
‘I don’t know much about him. I heard it was a bit unpleasant. I’ve heard it’s not the brightest bulb. If he is hostile, he won’t be there for long.
Albanese is expected to attend the G20 and APEC meetings in Brazil and Peru in the coming weeks, which current US President Joe Biden will also attend.
Economic and diplomatic relations under the incoming Trump administration are likely to take center stage on the list of topics discussed.
The Australian government hopes Trump will be true to his words to Albanese: “We are going to be perfect friends.”