Trump praises relations between US, Australia

(MENAFN) From the White House on Monday, US President Donald Trump praised the longstanding friendship between the United States and Australia.

“We've been long-term, longtime allies and I would say there's never been anybody better,” Trump told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at their first official meeting. “We fought wars together and we never had any doubts,” he added.

Yet for arguably the first time, Australia is beginning to feel some unease. Historically seen as the ultimate ally, the US is now viewed with a more critical eye, particularly under an administration stretching many of its international commitments.

Before flying to Washington, Albanese described the visit as an opportunity to “consolidate and strengthen” the alliance. “Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century,” he stated.

But in a changing world order and amid challenges to US dominance, Australia is reassessing its assumptions. “The Trump administration is clearly fraying some of those long-held, unexamined beliefs about the reliability of the United States as an ally,” said Sam Roggeveen of Australia’s Lowy Institute.

Trump’s first term was a source of tension for Australia, and his second term has prompted similar concerns. Earlier this year, the Australian election campaign was heavily influenced by candidates’ approaches to the US president. Trump frustrated Canberra with tariffs imposing a 10% import tax on most Australian goods, and 50% on aluminium and steel, which Albanese condemned as “not the act of a friend.”

The Aukus defence pact, announced in June to provide Australia with nuclear submarine technology in exchange for support countering China, was also reviewed under the new administration, raising fears of delay or revision due to US supply challenges and isolationist rhetoric.

Albanese faced difficulties simply arranging a meeting with Trump, which some interpreted domestically as a snub. Earlier in the year, Defence Minister Richard Marles’ attempt to lobby his US counterpart Pete Hegseth was complicated when Hegseth’s office initially denied that talks had taken place.

Despite these challenges, Monday’s meeting went as well as possible for Albanese. He secured Trump’s praise and a deal for US investment in developing Australia’s critical minerals sector, aiming to reduce China’s dominance in the market. The US also reaffirmed its commitment to Aukus, effectively ending the review.

Trump did not publicly chastise Albanese, though he awkwardly confronted former PM and current ambassador Kevin Rudd, saying, “I don’t like you either.” Tariffs remain an issue, but at relatively low rates, and some sectors, such as beef, have benefited from global market changes.

Nevertheless, concerns about Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy have fueled greater distrust.

“For the first time in my lifetime, one of our two major political parties benefited in the last election from slightly distancing itself from the US,” Roggeveen noted. Polls show Trump remains unpopular in Australia, and fewer citizens now see the US as a reliable ally.

Yet about half of Australians still view the alliance with the US as essential. Jared Mondschein of the United States Studies Centre explained, “It’s one thing to say Donald Trump is difficult, Donald Trump is unpopular. It’s another thing to come up with an alternative to the US right now… That’s really due to Xi Jinping. In many ways, he’s the gift that keeps on giving for the US in Asia.”

Recent tensions, including a run-in between Australian and Chinese jets, underscore regional security concerns. Roggeveen noted a widespread belief that Australia cannot independently defend itself, though some disagree. Many see Pacific nations as a key line of defense and argue for closer US ties, while a minority consider China a potential security partner.

“But there’s a view… that the only reasonable course for Australia is to seek closer and closer relations with the United States,” Roggeveen said. Mondschein added, “A lot of allies and partners throughout the region are grabbing for the uncertainty of a term-limited Trump administration over the certainty of a Xi Jinping-led China.”

While Australians’ attitudes toward the US are shifting, the alliance remains central to the country’s strategic outlook and is unlikely to change significantly in the near term.

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