Anthony Albanese vows to build strong relationship with Donald Trump amid uncertainty for Australia

Anthony Albanese has vowed to build a strong relationship with Donald Trump that serves Australia’s national interest despite previously admitting the incoming US President “scares the s... out of me”.

But in the wake of Mr Trump’s election, the Prime Minister has also warned democracies cannot simply “trust (in) the weight of tradition” to maintain people’s support.

Instead, they must push back against “the corrosive forces of cynicism and division” by demonstrating they were delivering for people.

Australia’s Labor politicians were going out of their way on Thursday to underscore the long alliance with the US, no matter the administration’s political leanings, despite many previously holding grave concerns about Mr Trump’s plans.

Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia should brace for upheaval under a second Trump presidency, after the former reality TV host swept to power on an America-first agenda platform that included slapping huge tariffs on Chinese imports, deporting migrants and encouraging more oil and gas projects.

“President Trump has run a campaign based on change and he’s made it clear he’s going to do things differently, so we shouldn’t be surprised as things change,” Mr Albanese said.

“But equally, we should be really confident in ourselves and our place in the world and our ability to deliver on our interest together as Australians.”

The Prime Minister spoke with the Republican president-elect around 10am (Canberra time) to congratulate him on his stunning election win over Democrat Kamala Harris.

Speaking in question time, Mr Albanese declared he wanted to build trust and respect with Mr Trump just as he did with Democrat President Joe Biden, with whom he shares a close relationship.

“As Prime Minister, I have made it a priority to invest in relationships with world leaders to build trust and respect, in Australia’s best interest,” he said.

“I built that with President Biden and I will do so with President Trump.”

Hours later, he told a gathering of international MPs in Sydney that politicians should not shy away from “fierce contests” but they must demonstrate “the humility to listen and explain and advocate, not just assert” the virtues of democracy.

“I’ve always believed that the strongest antidote to the corrosive forces of cynicism and division and the most compelling argument in favour of democracy is not an abstract, theoretical or historical one – it’s about demonstrating the capacity of government to make a positive difference.,” he said.

“The courage and capacity to push back against cynicism and extremism, division and disinformation.

“In many ways, this has never been more difficult. But in every way that matters, it’s never been more important.”

Fresh doubts about the Prime Minister’s ability to work with a Trump administration were raised earlier this week after 2017 footage resurfaced showing Mr Albanese admitting Mr Trump “scares the s.... out of me”.

Asked on Thursday if he felt to need to apologise to Mr Trump, Mr Albanese replied “no” before saying he had demonstrated his ability to work with world leaders and develop positive relationships.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Mr Albanese’s 2017 comments showed “terrible judgment”.

He made a veiled dig at the past comments as he joined the Prime Minister in congratulating Mr Trump on the election win.

“We have enduring strengths and together (with the US) we are stronger,” Mr Dutton said.

“And we will make sure that President Trump is not somebody to be scared of but somebody that we can work very closely with.”