The world leader's club that Anthony Albanese just can't score an invite to

News.com.au

17-06-2025

As world leaders raced to secure a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier this year, the 'world's coolest dictator' was at the front of the queue.
El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele, who bizarrely described himself in those terms on his own Twitter account, has become central to the Trump administration's deportation blitz, accepting hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members into his prison system.
But as Anthony Albanese missed out on a meeting this week despite travelling all the way to Canada hoping to score his first face-to-face chat, there's a growing list of world leaders in a club he still can't seem to join.
That club is political leaders who President Trump has made time to talk with in person, even if it was only a fleeting chat on the sidelines of international talks.
Barring an unexpected surprise, the next time Mr Albanese is likely to be able to meet President Trump is in September.
Hopes dashed
Just days ago, the Prime Minister had high hopes of securing a meeting on the sidelines of this week's G7 summit in Canada.
'I do expect to meet the president on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in three days' time,' Mr Albanese said.
'I'm going to raise the tariffs, we'll raise the importance of AUKUS and have a discussion as two friends should.
But by Tuesday afternoon, the President was making an early exit, leaving the G7 summit in Canada and skipping meetings with a number of world leaders including Anthony Albanese as he returned to Washington amid escalating war in the Middle East.
'I have to be back as soon as I can,' President Trump said. 'I wish I could stay until tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.'
That 'big stuff' is of course the unfolding crisis in the Middle East.
News website Axios reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration recently told several Middle Eastern allies it doesn't plan to get actively involved in the war between Israel and Iran unless Iran targets Americans.
The US has already helped Israel intercept missiles, but reportedly insisted that the US had made it clear Israel is acting alone in attacking Iran.
Trump had earlier posted a statement on his Truth Social platform declaring that 'everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' — referring to Iran's capital, which has a population of almost 10 million.
'AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!' he wrote in a separate post.
Australia is not being singled out. President Trump was also set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinb and the other Outreach partners such as Korea and India. However, some of those leaders have already held face to face talks with the President.
Who's who of world leaders who have met Trump
Meanwhile, the long list of world leaders who have met with President Trump this year includes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he met on February 5.
Two days later he met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba - who he found time to meet for a second time at the G7 on the sidelines.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Trump agreed to push ahead with trade talks but failed to achieve a breakthrough that would lower or eliminate tariffs.
They met for 30 minutes on the sidelines of the G7 leaders summit as the Prime Minister found out - via social media - that the Trump administration had kicked Australia off the dance card.
Who else has President Trump met while Australia waited?
In February he also held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Then later that month he met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A day later came the fateful and explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
He also met with French President Emmanuel Macron in February and Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin in March.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also scored a face-to-face before the US President had a second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In April, he held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before a second meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.
The Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre caught up with him in April.
That same month, as world leaders travelled to Pope Francis' funeral, the Prime Minister was fighting an election at home.
President Trump held another meeting with President Zelensky on the sidelines of the funeral, producing another historic photograph of the pair in Vatican City.
President Trump held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last month ahead of the G7.
He also met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in May and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in June.
Speaking in Canberra, Treasurer Jim Chalmers suggested the 'snub' to Australia was 'understandable' and 'not especially surprising.'
'Given the deteriorating and concerning situation in the Middle East, it's not surprising that President Trump has left the G7 early,'' he said.
'It's understandable given the situation in the Middle East. Obviously, this was always a chance of happening given what we're seeing in the Middle East. This is a perilous moment for the Middle East and a perilous moment for the global economy as well.'
Asked if it was 'rude' to find out on social media that the meeting was cancelled, the Treasurer simply replied that he was 'obviously not going to comment on that.'
'Prime Minister Albanese has already had I think three conversations with President Trump,'' he said.
'There will be other opportunities to engage, but in this instance, where we see the very concerning security situation in the Middle East, it's understandable and not especially surprising that President Trump's headed back to the White House.'