No quality Trump time in US may suit Albanese just fineZac de SilvaAAPWed, 24 September 2025 1:34AM
The prime minister will have to battle with more than 100 other world leaders for face time with the US president after missing out on a formal sit-down with Donald Trump.
Anthony Albanese will attend a reception hosted by Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Wednesday morning (AEST) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Australia was left off the president’s official schedule this week, which includes bilateral meetings with the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey.
Some analysts suggest the federal government’s decision to formally acknowledge Palestine may have contributed to the snub.
Others say missing out may be a blessing in disguise.
Not having a formal meeting could actually be “the best-case scenario”, says Perth USAsia Centre chief executive Gordon Flake said.
Professor Flake said meetings with Mr Trump were often transactional and coercive, and could be risky for Mr Albanese.
“With the world on fire, I think there are other bigger priorities we have than just a one-on-one with President Trump,” Prof Flake told AAP.
“I understand anxiety about … not yet having a leader-to-leader summit, but at the same time, if you begin to ask the question ‘what do you want from the summit’, I think we’re in a pretty good position.
“There’s no abiding, immediate crisis that we’re trying to solve.”
On Wednesday, Mr Albanese will also speak at an event showcasing Australia to global investors, focusing on Labor’s multi-billion-dollar suite of “future made in Australia” policies.
The next chance for Mr Albanese to sit down with Mr Trump will be next month’s APEC and ASEAN summits, in South Korea and Malaysia respectively.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said despite the diary clash, the Australia-US relationship was “in a good place”.
“I’ve got no doubt that at some point in the near future, there’ll be a meeting between the prime minister and the president,” Mr Marles said.
Mr Albanese is expected to get a handshake with Mr Trump at Wednesday’s gala dinner, but any further engagement between the pair isn’t guaranteed.
The opposition has been highly critical of the prime minister’s failure to secure a meeting with the US president, and argues the pair have important issues to discuss such as Mr Trump’s sweeping tariffs and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
“It’s not good that over 30 world leaders have had physical, face-to-face meetings with the US president and our prime minister hasn’t,” opposition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan told AAP.
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