‘Bugger off': PM urged to act over Donald Trump's refusal to meet
Anthony Albanese has been urged to tell the US President to 'bugger off' during an agonising line-up of interviews over his failure to secure face-to-face talks.
As the Prime Minister faced breakfast TV this morning to spruik a range of July 1 changes, his good news announcement was overshadowed over questions surrounding the 'embarrassing' situation with the Trump administration.
Mr Albanese is now the only member of the Quad group — India, the US, Japan and Australia — not to have met Mr Trump in person since his re-election as President and tariff decision.
'Disrespectful' PM grilled over US President
Today show host Karl Stefanovic said he 'can't comprehend how the President, given how close allies we have been with the US for so long, couldn't give a rat's about meeting with you'.
'I think it's so disrespectful. And why don't you just tell him to bugger off?' Stefanovic asked.
'Sorry, I've lost the audio there,' Mr Albanese replied.
'Have you? Karl was just asking if you. Why don't you tell the president to bugger off?' host Sarah Abo added. 'He seems to be snubbing you.'
'No, not at all. And we've had really constructive discussions,' Mr Albanese said. 'They've been respectful. I've been respectful of the President.'
Why planned talks were cancelled
Mr Albanese did not meet with Mr Trump earlier in the year amid speculation he wanted to avoid an unpredictable meeting in the lead-up to the election.
And while he was expected to have a brief chat at the G7, that idea was put on the back burner.
'Look, every Quad leader has met him. It's all got a little bit embarrassing hasn't it? Pretty simple question. When are you going to meet the Donald?' Stefanovic said.
'Not at all. Look, we will meet when we meet in coming months, but my priority has been on delivering for Australians,' Mr Albanese said.
'Do you have a date? It sounds a bit open-ended in coming months,' Abo asked.
'Well, it is at this point in time, but we'll have a meeting. We've had a few constructive discussions,' Mr Albanese replied.
Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Albanese was again grilled over the failure to secure talks with the US President.
'Are you just kicking yourself for [not] getting on that plane to meet Trump earlier?' host Nat Barr asked.
'Are you now looking at this and thinking it was a mistake to leave it this late?'
'Not at all, Nat!' he said.
'I've had my priorities right, which the Australian people got to have their say in on May the 3rd, which is why I'm still speaking to today.
'We're available for a meeting. We would've met at the sidelines of the G7, except that the President quite understandably left and left meetings with others as well, left the G7 to go back to Washington because of what was happening with Iran and Israel.'
Mr Albanese was also grilled over former Prime Minister turned US ambassador Kevin Rudd's description of the US President as 'a village idiot'.
Suggesting there was 'no coming back from Mr Rudd's past comments about the President' Mr Albanese was then asked, 'Are you putting your loyalty to Kevin Rudd above our alliance with the US?'
'Well, JD Vance had some pretty strong comments, it's gotta be said, and he's now the Vice-President of the United States of America,' Mr Albanese replied.
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