Source : the age
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is weighing up a trip to the US to meet President Donald Trump at the Socceroos’ match against the USA at the World Cup on June 19, as new doubts emerge over the AUKUS pact and the US-Iran war drags on.
The prime minister is not expected to make a final call on the trip to Seattle until closer to the June 20 tie.
Government sources said it was more likely than not that Albanese would skip the 17-hour trip. This is partly due to Trump’s unpredictability and the difficulty in guaranteeing his attendance at events. The US-Iran war has dented the US’ standing among world leaders.
But Australian officials see upside in the prospect of the pair catching up at an event such as the World Cup. Unlike their official meeting in the White House in October, brushing shoulders and posing for photos at a sports match would present a lesser risk of Trump creating unwanted attention. It would be Trump and Albanese’s third encounter, after they took a selfie in New York in September.
A minister may attend the World Cup if Albanese, an avid NRL and AFL fan, stays home.
Trump may be busy handling negotiations to end the war with Iran, just as Albanese would be jetting off in the middle of a domestic brawl over his unpopular budget. The Australian parliament is in session in the last week of June and first days of July. Albanese is hoping to use this period to rush through the parliament changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax, and trusts.
Trump repeatedly criticised Australia over the past few months for failing to give more help to the US in the war in the Middle East. It was never clear exactly to what Trump was referring, and his successive jabs at Australia have carried less weight over time.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth heaped praise on Australia at a security conference over the weekend, saying the Labor government was “stepping up” on defence spending and that the AUKUS submarine program was going well. This is despite news over the weekend that Australia would receive three used Virginia-class submarines next decade rather than a mix of old and new ones, triggering criticism from anti-AUKUS activists that Australia had been dropped down the priority list.
Late last month, Albanese did not answer directly when asked by 7 News if he wanted to meet Trump at the World Cup.
“We’ll wait and see what happens, but at the moment my travel is restricted to running around Australia … making sure the measures we have put in place in the budget are explained,” Albanese said.
Prime ministers travel most regularly in the Australian summer when many summits are held. The Nightly reported that Albanese had been snubbed by France for the upcoming G7 meeting, even though critical minerals and online safety, two of Australia’s policy priorities, are on the agenda.
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Paul Sakkal is Chief Political Correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and won a Walkley award and the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect via X or email.
