Jacqui Lambie Criticizes Trump’s Behavior Toward Australian Prime Minister
Jacqui Lambie, an independent senator from Tasmania, has voiced her opinion on the lack of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese since he returned to power last year. She described Trump as “really rude” for not engaging with Albanese.
In an article published in Nine Newspapers, former Attorney-General George Brandis suggested that it was an “open secret” in Washington that the Australian Embassy had struggled to arrange a meeting for Albanese with Trump. He noted that any other Australian prime minister would have already been in the White House, implying that Albanese is currently out of favor.
However, when asked by Today host Sarah Abo if she agreed with Brandis’s assessment, Lambie offered a different perspective. She argued that the situation might actually be working in Australia’s favor. “Our tariffs didn’t go up a second time, so that was a bit of a bonus,” she said. Lambie suggested that if Albanese avoids meeting Trump, this could continue. But she also criticized Trump for his behavior, calling it “really rude.”
Lambie emphasized that the Australian government has been making every effort to secure a meeting with Trump, but he has ignored these attempts. “It’s actually the embarrassment on Trump, not on Albanese at all,” she stated. She questioned why Trump would push for meetings if he wasn’t interested in holding them.
Lambie further expressed frustration over the U.S. placing tariffs on its close allies, particularly highlighting Australia’s significant investment in the AUKUS submarine deal. “Seriously, I just think it’s really, really rude, considering we’ve got this big AUKUS deal that they’re doing us over on,” she said. She pointed out that Australia had already paid $2 billion but had yet to receive any tangible results. “It’s embarrassing, kissing their backside. Go figure.”
Lambie added that regardless of whether one is friends with Trump or not, once he makes a decision, others must deal with the consequences. “That’s how it works,” she concluded.
The G7 Summit and Ongoing Tensions
Albanese was expected to meet Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June. However, Trump left the event early to address a crisis in Israel. When asked about the possibility of future meetings, Albanese told reporters in Canberra that there would be several events involving Trump in the coming months. “We’re about to enter summit season and I look forward to discussions continuing face to face as they have been constructive when I’ve had discussions with President Trump,” he said.
When pressed on whether he was confident about securing a meeting, Albanese referred to his previous 5,324 answers to the same question, suggesting he was frustrated with the repeated inquiries.
Diplomatic Challenges and Future Visits
Lambie’s comments come amid ongoing diplomatic challenges between Australia and the U.S. Defence Minister Richard Marles is set to visit the U.S. this week for meetings with his counterpart, Pete Hegseth. Meanwhile, Brandis, who previously served as High Commissioner to the UK, warned that Australia’s reluctance to increase defense spending—a move the White House had urged—has strained bilateral relations.
He also highlighted the Albanese government’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN next month, which he argued further damaged ties with the U.S. Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, reportedly expressed disgust with the move.
Brandis summarized the situation by stating, “The dangerous combination of a mercurial and petulant president, and a weak and diplomatically clueless prime minister, has kept the doors of the Oval Office embarrassingly shut to Anthony Albanese.” This statement underscores the complex dynamics between the two nations and the challenges faced by the current Australian government in maintaining strong diplomatic relations with the U.S.
