EDITORIAL: Like it or not, Trump’s opinion of Albanese matters
It’s been a busy few weeks for the nation’s body language experts.
Having just recovered from poring over photographs of Keith and Nicole for any early signs of marital disharmony, they’re now on standby as Anthony Albanese prepares for his keenly awaited first Oval Office meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Given the numerous false starts which have preceded this catch-up, much of the focus will be on the personal interplay between the two men.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.And given Mr Trump’s capricious nature, it could go in any direction.
The US President has no qualms about giving public dressings down to his fellow world leaders, his car crash encounter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February being the most notorious example.
Other leaders to have found themselves on the receiving end of a chewing-out from Trump include Canada’s Mark Carney and South African Prime Minister Cyril Ramaphosa.
Our PM will be aiming to strike a tone of friendly-but-not-too-friendly
It would be natural for Mr Albanese and his staff to feel a little apprehension heading in to this evening’s tete-a-tete.
More than likely, however, the meeting will go ahead without major fireworks.
On the handful of occasions Mr Trump has made personal comments about Mr Albanese, they have been unerring positively.
Mr Trump praised Mr Albanese as “very good” following Labor’s election win in May.
He also claimed the pair were “very friendly”.
And in September, Mr Trump described the Prime Minister as “a good man”.
It may seem absurd to obsess over a handful of syllables offered by a foreign leader about our own. But Mr Trump’s opinion of Mr Albanese matters deeply.
The US remains our No. 1 security guarantor and one of our most important trading partners, and Mr Trump has made clear the great weight he puts on personal relationships, both in business and in matters of international diplomacy.
It’s in the national interest that this meeting goes well, and that Mr Albanese remains a “good man” in Mr Trump’s estimation.
However, it’s in Mr Albanese’s personal political interest that it doesn’t go too well.
The Prime Minister is keenly aware that Australians collectively regard Mr Trump with a mixture of revulsion and suspicion.
When Mr Albanese posted to social media a selfie of the pair taken at their first fleeting face-to-face meeting in September, it was inundated with negative comments from punters.
Coming off as toadying would be a disaster for Mr Albanese’s personal popularity at home.
He’ll be aiming to strike a tone of friendly-but-not-too-friendly, hoping to appease the Americans (and perhaps interest them in investing in our critical minerals) while maintaining enough distance to remain palatable to Australian voters.
It’s a balancing act he should be able to pull off — so long as Kevin Rudd can keep his mouth shut for long enough for the Australian contingent to make it out of the Oval Office unscathed.
